The Mysterious Mr Nilsson
by RubberDuckiez
Summary: (Side Story 1 - Wood Series) Lucas Nilsson thought his life was over when he lost his younger sister and quidditch career within a few months. But then a fateful trip to Hogwarts changed everything. Now that he's finally gotten his own team and coaching Daisy Wood, he realizes he wasn't prepared for how getting close to the famous Pixie would change him.
1. The First Date with the Falcons

**Hello to any first-time readers! For those who may be confused, this is actually a side story to a series that I've started in an ongoing next generation universe around the children of Oliver Wood. It's actually a gift to folks who became fans of Coach Nilsson in _Life & Times_ (and honestly, I became a fan as I was writing, so it's a labor of love that I'm glad to undertake.)**

 **I would recommend reading my stories _Surviving Hogwarts_ and _Life &_** ** _Times of a Flaming Pixie_ first. Though you could probably get by with just _Life & Times_, as this takes place during that one. If you really want to go back, you can start with the very first story, _Saving Iris_ and work up from there.**

 **Anyway, any original characters from the books and the world belong to JK Rowling. Everything else is mine.**

* * *

The rookie was going to be the death of him, of that Lucas was sure.

It wasn't the death-defying stunts she performed on the pitch. No, those he had full confidence she could perform without chance of getting seriously hurt. But her personal life drama was constantly creating headaches. It wasn't so much that he found them annoying. Moreso he wanted to protect her from such things, but was limited in his capacity as a coach.

He barely held it together in the hospital after they had rushed there from the pitch after the Falcons match, getting flashbacks of that day that changed his life nearly four years ago. After leaving, he went home to his cottage in a small village outside London and had smashed half his plates in anger and frustration. He had picked up a bottle of vodka on the way home in a sort of stupor, even though he hadn't had a drop of alcohol in nearly four years.

She was hurt and there hadn't been a damn thing he could have done to have stopped it or protect her.

He sat at the kitchen table staring at the bottle. Debating back and forth with himself.

" _It'll feel better after just one drink…"_

" _But what if I don't stop…"_

" _You will stop… You need this…"_

" _But last time…"_

" _This isn't last time… It'll help you sleep…"_

" _I can't be like I was…"_

" _You know you want to go break his nose… you'll feel better if you do…"_

The old demons that he thought he had silenced years ago were rearing their ugly heads, urging him to act on his dark instincts. Go find the fucking Falcons seeker and beat him to a bloody pulp. Drink until all he could feel was dull numbness. He sat at the table staring at the bottle, clenching and unclenching his fists.

It was like this that his old friend Hugo Larssen had found him. As soon as he had heard about the accident, he went to the hospital, only to find that Lucas had left. He then immediately went to Lucas' house, knowing he needed to check on him. He remembered what he had been like after his sister had died.

"Tell me you didn't drink anything," Hugo said as soon as he entered the kitchen. Lucas looked at him and slowly shook his head.

"I didn't even realize I had bought it until I got home," he said softly. Hugo looked around the broken dishes on the floor and sighed. With the wave of his wand, the broken pieces gathered themselves and flew over to the bin. He sat at the table across from Lucas and grabbed the vodka, pulling it out of his friend's reach.

"You can't do this again," he said seriously, studying him.

"I wasn't going to," Lucas replied, this time a bit more forcefully. Hugo watched him a moment then stood, opening the bottle. He walked to the sink and poured the contents down the drain.

"Just in case, I can't leave this here with you," he said. He looked over at Lucas. "You want to talk about it?" Lucas sighed and sat back in his chair.

"I thought I was going to lose her," he said. "Just… when she lost her grip… and then when the bludger hit her. The way she hit the ground…" He shook his head and rubbed his face.

"She is going to get hurt. That's the nature of the game. You know this," Hugo said, walking back to the table and sitting across from him.

"I know… just something about this time…" he murmured. He suddenly clenched his fists as he thought about the Falcons seeker. "I wanted to strangle him. I wanted to run back to the locker room and beat him..." His ice blue eyes flashed with anger as a scowl appeared on his usually composed face.

"But you can't," Hugo said. "You have to control your anger." Lucas looked up at his old friend and sighed, feeling the fight leave him.

"I can't be like I was," he said. "I won't be."

* * *

 _Hugo rushed down the sidewalk. The air was chilly even though fall hadn't completely set in yet. He was supposed to be home, icing an injured knee. But he got word from Basil, a local muggle pub owner, and there he was, walking down the sidewalk to go get Lucas. He was most likely in for another long night._

 _He pushed the door open and looked around, though he didn't need to search for long. Lucas was sitting at a table in the corner holding an ice pack to his face, swaying slightly. Hugo sighed and walked over, sending a silent apology to the barkeep behind the bar. Hugo stepped up to his friend, noting the broken table and splintered stools on the floor, surrounded by shattered glass. He was sure to receive an itemized list of all the damage later. If it had been one of the pubs in the wizarding quarter, he could have fixed everything with the wave of a wand, but Lucas had been banned from most of them already. He had only taken to skulking around muggle pubs in the neighborhood on the off chance that he would run into the man who had been driving the car that killed Mara._

" _Lucas… not again," Hugo said, stepping up to him. Lucas looked up at Hugo, blinking slightly as he tried to focus on his face._

" _I thought I found him tonight," Lucas said, slurring his words. "I thought it was him…" Hugo sighed and reached down, putting his arm underneath Lucas' arm and hoisting him up. The two slowly made their way out of the pub, Lucas limping as he leaned heavily on Hugo._

" _Do you have your wand?" Hugo asked softly._

" _Left it home," Lucas said. Hugo nodded, thankful for small miracles. Lucas tended to use magic when he shouldn't while on a drunken tirade. As he mostly drank in muggle pubs now, it was good he had taken to leaving it at home._

 _Once outside, Hugo dragged them to a nearby alley and apparated the two to Lucas' apartment. He put Lucas on the sofa and walked to the kitchen to get him water. When he came back, Lucas had found his wand and conjured a glass and bottle of whisky._

" _Lucas… you've had enough," he said, stopping. Lucas swung his head around and glared at his friend, still weaving. He had a black eye and busted lip._

" _No… not nearly enough," he said before taking a large swig._

" _You have to stop doing this," Hugo said. "Mara wouldn't want to see you like this."_

" _DO NOT SAY HER NAME," Lucas bellowed, glaring at Hugo. He pushed himself off the sofa, turning and shakingly making his way towards Hugo. "You don't get it… you don't understand…" He shoved his finger into Hugo's shoulder._

" _I know that you're ruining your life!" Hugo shouted._

" _I'm ruining my life?! My life is already ruined!" Lucas spat, taking a step back. "I can't play quidditch anymore… and Mara… she's… dead. My sister is DEAD!" Hugo watched him, silent. Lucas took a step forward and pulled his arm back as though he were going to punch him. Instead, he tripped over a stray shoe and fell to the ground, the glass of whisky flying out of his hand and across the floor. Hugo took a deep breath, watching as his friend moaned on the ground._

" _It's not fair," he shouted. "IT'S NOT FUCKING FAIR! That bastard is out there… laughing and… whatever… and she's DEAD!" He started sobbing, rolling over onto his knees, his head buried in his hands on the floor._

 _Hugo stepped over and grabbed Lucas, pulling him up onto the loveseat._

" _You need to drink some water," Hugo said, summoning the glass he had left on the coffee table. Lucas took it and took a sip. He sniffed, tears still streaming down his face. He hadn't shaved in days and looked rough. Nothing like the clean-shaven, cocky keeper he once knew._

" _My life is over," Lucas moaned softly. "It's over…"_

" _It's not over…" Hugo said softly. "You can't give up, Lucas." Lucas stared at his best friend, shaking his head._

" _No… you're wrong. It is… I can't play anymore… and Mara is gone," he said. He fell over on the loveseat, dropping the glass of water to the floor. "It's over…"_

* * *

Hugo silently studied his friend as he sat at the table, memories of all those nights he had to go scrap him off the floor of another pub. Or off the sofa or his bedroom floor. The nights he stopped by just to make sure he was still alive. The few times he had to go bail him out of the muggle police station after he got into another fight.

"Are you sure… that you can handle this? Maybe you are getting too close to her," Hugo asked softly. "I don't want to see you return to what you were." Lucas glanced at him and nodded.

"I won't waste my chance to do better. To be better," he said. "Mara wouldn't want that. I can handle this." Hugo nodded.

"I worry about you sometimes," Hugo said as he waved his wand, turning the stove on and filling a kettle there with water. "You could use some tea to calm you," he said. Lucas nodded. A hint of a smile came across his face.

"You remember how Mara would force feed me tea for days when I got sick," he said. Hugo chuckled.

"She was every bit a mother hen even though she was the youngest," he said. "She nearly tied you to your bed a few times to keep you from playing until you were well." Lucas shook his head.

"I sometimes think she was more protective of me than I was of her," he said.

* * *

" _LUCAS! YOU IDIOT! I TOLD YOU TO STAY IN BED!" the young woman yelled as she stomped into the flat. Lucas was seated on the couch, pulling his boots off. He froze, glancing at his team bag on the floor next to him. Mara glared at him and walked over, placing her hand to his forehead._

" _You're not going to get better if you go into practice with a flippin' cold!" she shouted. "You still have a fever."_

" _But… I don't feel that bad. And I need to stay in shape for the World Cup qualifiers," he replied before sneezing. Mara rolled her eyes as she started pulling off her heavy coat and scarf._

" _It's the midseason break. You don't even need to go into practice right now," she said, moving to the kitchen where she started the kettle for tea. "I'm owling your coach and telling him to send you home if you try to show up at practice tomorrow." Lucas sighed and sat back on the couch._

" _You've got to stop owling my coach, Mar," he said before coughing. "I'm perfectly capable of caring for myself. I am an adult."_

" _Obviously not if you're going to practice in sub-zero weather with a cold," she said, returning to the living room with a steaming mug of lemon and ginger tea._

" _Shouldn't you be practicing?" he asked, as he accepted it from her._

" _We're off for the next week. Blizzard blew through the other day and buried the pitch," she said, flopping down on the loveseat. "How are things with Olivia?" Lucas grimaced slightly._

" _She broke up with me," he said, cautiously sipping at the hot tea. Mara huffed._

" _Seriously, Lucas, what did you do this time?" she asked. Lucas glared at his younger sister._

" _Why do you assume I did something?" he asked._

" _Because you always do something. The only thing in life you get right is quidditch," she said with a laugh. "One of these days being a player will come back and bite you in the ass. You'll meet someone you want to settle down with and she'll refuse you because of that." Lucas chuckled._

" _There are too many beautiful women out there to settle down with just one right now, sis," he said with a cheeky grin. Mara rolled her eyes again and shook her head._

" _Luke… Stockholm is not that big. And the wizarding community here is even smaller. Watch it or you'll have to leave the country to find a date," she said. Lucas winced._

" _Surely I'm not that bad," he said, his eyes twinkling._

" _Drink your tea. I'm going to make you some stew for dinner," Mara snapped as she pushed herself off the loveseat, granted a smile was firmly planted on her face. "But while I'm cooking, what happened with Olivia?"_

" _She didn't like how I cleaned," he shouted. He heard a distinctive snort from the kitchen along with pots and pans being moved about._

" _Yea right," Mara yelled back._

" _She said I wasn't focused on her," he said. "But with the World Cup coming, I don't know how she couldn't understand." Mara popped her head into the living room._

" _You forgot her birthday, didn't you?" she asked._

" _I remembered… eventually," Lucas said with a slight frown._

" _Did you get her a present?" she asked, walking back into the kitchen._

" _No…" he admitted._

" _LUCAS YOU IDIOT!" Mara shouted. Lucas chuckled. "I EVEN WROTE IT DOWN FOR YOU!" He continued to sip his tea._

" _We had doubles last week," he shouted back._

" _Not an excuse when it's your girlfriend's birthday!" Mara replied._

" _Ex-girlfriend," Lucas corrected. Mara popped her head out of the kitchen again._

" _Someday you're going to fall madly in love with some girl and I'm going to laugh my ass off over how mad she drives you," she said before popping back into the kitchen. Lucas chuckled to himself._

" _Yea right," he muttered._

* * *

 **So, I've finished planning out the entire story and have about 3 chapters scattered throughout to completely write and about 4 more that need finishing or refining. As I managed to get a fair amount done with that - as well as my other various projects - I decided to go ahead and post the first chapter. I'm going to try and post every 2-3 days as I can. In total, this will be 14 chapters, unless I end up adding more in as I finish it, but I doubt it. This is the most fore planning I think I've done for any story. I might try to do apply this technique to all my following stories...**

 **Hope all you Nilsson fans enjoy! ^_^**


	2. Introducing the Pixie

Lucas sat at his desk going over plays. It had been a few days since Daisy Wood started with the Arrows. He had known that some of the team was not going to like having the Wood girl at first string practice. And he had known that Hastings would be furious, but he didn't really care. She was good. And she was what the team needed. She should have been first string from the beginning, but try as he might, there was no way to get around Hastings' contract.

" _We can't break the damn thing, so do whatever you can - within legal means, mind you - to get him out,"_ the team owner had told him a couple nights ago. Nilsson frowned, looking over his play book. He had a lot of plans for the Arrows and some fairly complicated plays he wanted them to start working on. But they required a lot of work from the seeker and he knew there was no way Hastings would ever be able to do them. Daisy Wood, however, would be perfect. She had the right speed, skill and daringness to pull them off.

Nilsson sighed and sat back in his chair, running his hand through his hair. He hoped that his initial plan - having the younger, faster player present - would push the old man to come to his senses and quit. Or perhaps he would finally get so injured he couldn't continue. Merlin knew he was in the infirmary every other day for something. But he knew by now just how stubborn he could be. First, Lucas would see how things went with Wood practicing with them and go from there. At least he could get her ready to play should she need to step in. And hope that neither Kelly nor Hastings tried to kill or maim her before that point - again.

He could feel his anger start to simmer as he thought of the bludger incident. He tried his best to stay calm and it normally wasn't that hard. That day on the field was the closest he had come to losing it in a little over two years. He took a deep, calming breath. It wouldn't do to lose his cool now.

"How did practice go?" a voice said from the door. Lucas looked up, seeing Hugo standing there. He sighed.

"About as well as it could. The rookie did well again, as expected. And Hastings was livid - also as expected," he said. Hugo chuckled as he walked over and sat down.

"Ah, so no more errant bludgers today… And Hastings won't go quietly," he replied.

"I know… I'm going to have to start pushing him harder," Lucas replied. "What the hell was Briggs thinking? He lets Jamie Wood transfer and then gives Hastings one more season? He's lost his mind." Hugo shrugged.

"Suppose you just need to figure out how to make it work with what you have," he said. Lucas glared at him.

"You remember what Hastings is like. He can barely see the snitch anymore," Lucas said. "And it's getting worse. It was obvious the first five minutes of practice on her first day that she's light years ahead of him. She hadn't even been on a pitch in three months."

"She is younger and faster," Hugo said. "And incredibly talented from what I remember. That final match against Slytherin a few months ago was brilliant." Lucas nodded slowly, thinking back to the match. The rookie had shown that not only that she was top seeker material, she could bring a team together.

"Which is why she should be on first string - not the reserves. I was so sure it would be a war to get her," he said.

"Lucky someone started that rumor that got most of the teams off her," Hugo said with a smirk. Lucas glanced up at him.

"Do you know who it was?" he asked. Hugo looked confused.

"I thought it was you," he said. Lucas snorted.

"When would I have time for that? I'm not really the social type, in case you haven't noticed," he said. Hugo stared at him a moment.

"Then we should remedy that. There will be a party at the Woods' place this Friday after the match. We're going," he said, standing. Lucas' eyes widened.

"What… no. I'm not going to a party, Hugo," he said. His face paled slightly. "It's a bad idea. All the alcohol…"

"Psht. You'll be fine. You've made it this far. When was the last time you were even slightly tempted to drink?" he said, standing. Lucas thought for a moment. He couldn't really remember. "See. You'll be fine. You need to make more friends besides just me." Lucas nodded slightly.

"I guess I'll go," he said.

"You know Mara would kick you in the ass for being such a hermit," Hugo said with a smile as he walked towards the door. Lucas smiled slightly.

"She always was a bit of a social butterfly," he said.

"She was… it's okay for you to get to know people, Lucas. Have a little fun. You don't always have to be so serious all the time," Hugo said from the office door. "Live a little." Lucas nodded.

"See you Friday night, I guess," he said.

* * *

" _Mara! We're going to be late!" Lucas shouted. He wasn't sure why his sister had insisted on getting ready for the party at his apartment. At this point, she might as well just move in._

" _Calm down, I'm ready," she said, stepping out from the guest bathroom, wearing skinny jeans, a loose t-shirt and a leather jacket. Her normally pin-straight blonde hair was in loose waves and she was wearing a bit more makeup than usual._

" _Who's this for?" he asked, an eyebrow raised and smirk firmly planted on his face. Mara rolled her eyes as she walked over and grabbed her purse, making sure her wand was inside._

" _No one in particular," she said without looking up._

" _It's the keeper, isn't it?" he asked, crossing his arms in front of him. Mara looked up at him, scowling._

" _Not that it's any over your business, but no," she said, pulling her purse on her shoulder._

" _It is," he said, starting to grin._

" _I thought you were in a hurry. Didn't you say we were running late," she huffed. Lucas chuckled._

" _Let's go… can't keep the keeper waiting, can we?" he said._

 _Once they had arrived at the party, Mara was gone. Lucas presumed off to find the keeper. He walked over to Hugo, who handed him a glass._

" _Mara here?" he asked. Lucas nodded and looked around._

" _Off to meet her keeper, I think," he said with a smile. Hugo chuckled._

" _Still hung up on that one, it seems," he said. Lucas shrugged as he caught sight of a pretty woman with dark hair and bright blue eyes._

" _Perhaps," he said. "If you'll excuse me." He started walking away, a smile on his face._

" _Come on, Lucas! For one night can you just let it go?" Hugo yelled, a smile on his face. Lucas turned around, walking backwards, and smiled at him._

" _You know I'd much prefer the company of a beautiful girl," he said with a shrug. He turned and continued over to the woman. Her friends stepped away at that moment, possibly to get more drinks._

" _Hello," he said smoothly, stepping up to her. "You're the new chaser for the Kites, aren't you?" The woman looked him up and down, a smirk on her face._

" _And you would be Lucas Nilsson - keeper for the Gothenburg Lynxes," she replied smoothly. Lucas smiled, slightly impressed._

" _That would be correct," he said, leaning closer to her._

" _And I would know that you are the biggest player in the League," she said before taking a drink. Lucas frowned slightly but kept his smile._

" _You can't always believe what you hear," he said. The woman shrugged._

" _Okay, I've also heard the only things you care about are quidditch and yourself, in that order," she said._

" _I wouldn't say only. I've been known to care for other things," he said._

" _Ah, yes, the third would be women. As in plural," she said._

" _Again, I wouldn't believe-"_

" _Ah, so Olivia was wrong, I see," she said. Lucas' eyebrows shot up._

" _You know Olivia?" he asked._

" _Please, Lucas. The wizarding community is small. Word travels fast," she said. "If you'll excuse me…"_

" _But you didn't give me your name," he said as she walked away. She turned and walked backwards, grinning._

" _No thanks, Nilsson," she called out before turning and walking away._

" _Did that just happen?" Hugo said, walking up to Lucas. "Did the great Lucas Nilsson just get shut down by a woman." Lucas downed his drink and then turned to his friend, smiling._

" _I always did like a challenge," he replied. Hugo rolled his eyes._

" _You just don't know when to give up, do you?" he said._

" _LUCAS!"_

 _Both men looked over, noticing Mara grinning at them from the other side of the room as she started dancing over towards them._

" _Oh no… someone gave her tequila again," Lucas said, starting to walk over to his sister._

" _At least she didn't interrupt you this time," Hugo said, following. Lucas shot him a look and then turned back to Mara. He looked around at her teammates, who were laughing with the rookie seeker._

" _Who gave her tequila again?" Lucas asked, stepping up to them._

" _I gave myself tequila," Mara replied as she started dancing in a circle around Lucas. He looked over at her captain, a tall man with slightly reddish hair._

" _Really, Oscar?" he asked, a hint of a smile on his face. Even though he was slightly upset he would now have to babysit Mara the rest of the night, he had to admit she got pretty funny when she was drunk. At least until she passed out. He'd have to time it right so that he got them both back to his apartment before that happened and he wouldn't have to carry her again. He thanked his lucky stars she typically stayed away from tequila, which was the only thing that made her silly drunk and knocked her out._

 _Oscar shrugged and smiled._

" _We look out for her all week, Nilsson. Your turn," he said, chuckling. Lucas rolled his eyes._

" _I've looked out for her for 18 years, Oscar," he said._

" _Lucas! Why aren't you dancing with me?" Mara whined._

" _Because I don't dance," he said, looking down at her._

" _Yes you do. I saw you that one time at the one place," she said, starting to do the running man._

" _Wait, you dance?" Oscar asked. "This I must see…" Lucas glanced over at him._

" _I don't dance. Not like that, anyway," he replied, pointing at Mara who was now doing the cabbage patch, much to the delight of the rest of the team. One of the beaters - a short but stocky guy a few years older than Mara named Vincent Holmgren - had stepped over and started dancing with her._

" _Come on, Nilsson. Don't you ever let the cool facade down?" he shouted while grinning._

" _Oh, he does… he's actually a huge dork. Just good at hiding it," Mara said, grinning at her older brother. Lucas rolled his eyes and stepped over to Oscar._

" _Seriously, who let her have tequila?" he asked, watching as Mara pulled the team's keeper Daniel Lundin into her spontaneous dance circle._

" _Victoria said she saw her do a couple shots with the Hammers, and then she grabbed Daniel's shot out of his hand and took it before he could do anything," he said. Lucas glanced over, catching the Hammers' keeper watching Mara as she gradually got her entire team to join her. He was smiling slightly as a teammate elbowed him in the side, pulling his attention away from Mara._

" _Ah… the keeper," Lucas said, watching him._

 _Oscar looked over at the opposing team and chuckled._

" _Now I understand why she did tequila shots," he said. Lucas looked over at him._

" _The other liquid luck," he said. They both returned to watching Mara, though Lucas found his eyes wandering around the room, settling on the woman from earlier. She was in a corner with two other chasers, laughing about something. She glanced over and caught him watching her, lifting her eyebrows as if to ask, "What?" Lucas shrugged and smiled, lifting his glass up to her. She rolled her eyes and turned back to her friends._

" _See you've found the new chaser for the Kites - Julia Sorenson," Oscar said._

" _So that's her name," Lucas murmured. "Julia…"_

* * *

Lucas escaped to the balcony the first chance he got. He wasn't sure Hugo had the right idea by bringing him here. He felt awkward and uncomfortable suddenly being brought back into a social atmosphere. Since he had moved to the U.K., he was happy to stick to himself, enjoying the quiet of his cottage. He spent most of his time reading or coming up with plays or watching TV.

But here, he was surrounded by people who wanted to make small talk; women who wanted to flirt. There was a time where he lived for parties and the various dalliances that could occur. Now… it no longer held the same thrill. So after standing next to Hugo silently for about 45 minutes and watching the Wood siblings talk to his team, he quietly excused himself for some air.

It wasn't so much the memories of who he used to be that bothered him. Those days felt like a lifetime ago. He didn't even know how to be that person anymore.

Lucas sighed and took another drink of his soda, looking out over the street. He heard the door open and looked over to see Daisy step out. She leaned against the railing, taking a deep breath. He sat up suddenly, feeling like he needed to make his presence known. Before he could say anything, her brother came out and the two started talking. He shifted in his chair, uncomfortable with overhearing their conversation. He had to admit he was pleased to hear her assessment of him.

He debated whether or not to say anything. And then her brother left and he felt it was only right to acknowledge his presence. He was a bit more surprised when she chose to come sit next to him and continue the conversation. After she left, he took a deep breath and looked out over the street. Something stirred inside him, something he hadn't felt in a long time. He shook his head slightly, not sure what it was but deciding not to dwell on it.

He checked his watch, deciding he had been there long enough and stood, walking back into the apartment.

"There you are. Were you on the balcony this whole time?" Hugo asked, stepping up to Lucas. The blonde man looked over, watching Kingfisher launch a small ball into the air that landed into a cup of beer.

"It got a bit too… noisy for me," he said, turning to look back at Hugo. "I think I'm going to head home." Hugo sighed.

"At least you tried," he said. Lucas nodded.

"Baby steps, right?"

* * *

Here it tis! The next chapter!

Homerunhitter: Haha! I take it you're happy!

BookwormRehab: Yea, I do a lot of writing in advance so that there aren't long breaks in posting. Yesterday I did a TON of planning in terms of this one and the stories to follow, so once I get to writing, it'll hopefully all come together quickly and smoothly. And yes, it's sad, but I've enjoyed writing her story.

twilightlover: I'm glad you enjoy it!

Thanks for reading! And thank you to my followers especially ranger lucy!


	3. Promoting Daisy

"Just what the bloody hell are you doing, Nilsson? You could get her killed!" Oliver shouted as the two men entered Lucas' office after the friendly against the Wasps, Wood slamming the door shut behind him. Lucas sighed, expecting this. Oliver Wood was notorious for being overprotective of his youngest. The young Arrows coach knew there would be some blowback from him over the way he intended to utilize Daisy on the pitch.

He wondered if Wood got so worked up over this game, what would he do when he saw what he had planned for future matches. He only hoped he could get him out of the coach's box next time.

"Daisy is perfectly safe," Lucas said calmly though he was frowning. "She exerts complete control-"

"You should know more than anyone how the slightest mistake can end a career," Oliver shouted back. Lucas stared at the enraged coach for a moment before speaking.

"Wood, you have to trust me on this. We know what we're doing. Now, next match, would you please stay in the family box?" he replied.

"You've only been a head coach for several months - what do you know about coaching Daisy?! I've been coaching her for nearly 15 years!" Oliver yelled. Lucas took a deep breath and opened his mouth, but before he could answer, his door flew open. Both men looked over and saw a haggard looking Hastings.

"Sorry… I didn't think anyone else would be here," he said softly, scowling slightly. It took about a month working with the Arrows for Lucas to learn that scowling was just how Hastings looked.

"It's fine. Wood and I were just about done. What is it Hastings?" Lucas said, grateful for the disruption. He was close to castigating the older coach, feeling his anger starting to churn. It wouldn't do to insult one of the most respected coaches in the league - who also happened to be his seeker's father.

Hastings took a deep breath and looked between the two.

"Out with it, Hastings. I'm not leaving," Oliver said, crossing his arms in front of him and glaring at the aging seeker. "I still have more words with Nilsson. Though I'm no too thrilled with how you've been treating Daisy either." Hastings nodded. He looked to the ground.

"It was a good match," he said, finally. "You were right about the seeker - Wood. Daisy." He paused, still not looking up and missing both coaches raising their eyebrows. "She's much faster. Stronger. She's loads better. I'm holding the team back, but she could take them forward." Oliver snorted. Hastings looked up at him, scowling again.

"What? I could have told you that," Oliver replied. Lucas frowned at him, silently willing him to shut up. Hastings cleared his throat.

"Look, we all know I'm past my prime. To be honest, I wanted to retire a couple years ago, but… I needed the paycheck. My wife and I are… in a bit of a financial bind. Been caring for her parents in St. Mungo's. Helping mine out as well. Not to mention we've got one kid still in Hogwarts and the other in muggle university - squib. It's not been easy," he said. "That's why Briggs gave me another season." Both coaches were silent, not realizing the reason why the seeker's contract had been extended. "We've spent nearly all my savings."

"I'm… why didn't you tell me this, Hastings?" Lucas finally said. Hastings looked at him.

"It's not something I could just go and discuss with a stranger, now could I?" he replied.

"But I'm your coach," Lucas said.

"Barely," Hastings replied. Lucas nodded.

"So…" he said, encouraging Hastings to continue.

"I'll retire - let Daisy take my spot - but… I'm going to need a sort of severance," he said. Lucas nodded.

"Of course," he said. Hastings studied him.

"I'm going to need two years pay. To be paid in monthly installments," he said quickly. Lucas thought a moment and then nodded.

"I'll have to double check with the management, but I think that should be doable," he said. Hastings and Oliver looked at the young coach, slightly dumbstruck. Lucas glanced at the two and cleared his throat, shiftly slightly uncomfortably. "With Jamie Wood's transfer deal and the strong prospects of Daisy coming on as seeker, I'm fairly certain they will agree to your terms. Come back next week and I'll have all the paperwork ready."

Hastings nodded.

"Thanks… Coach," he said before turning and leaving. Oliver stood silent a few moments as Lucas started to shift through papers on his desk.

"I suppose you'll want to discuss Daisy's first string contract?" Lucas said, glancing up at him. Oliver stared at him a moment before speaking.

"I want double the offer for her reserves contract. Plus a bonus when she makes the national team for the World Cup. You can decide the amounts, but she'll get one whether she makes first or second string. And it's a two-year contract with the option to go free agent once it's finished," he said automatically. Lucas looked at him a moment.

"Very well. In return, I ask that you please stay out of the coach's box during our matches. It's hard enough without you yelling in my ear," he said, sitting at his desk. Oliver nodded.

"I'll, ah, I'll stay in the family box," he said.

"Alright. I'll get the contract ready for her to sign in the morning," Lucas said. He nodded, expecting that to be a sign for Oliver to leave. When he didn't, Lucas looked up at him again.

"Come on, Nilsson. We're going to an after party. We're going to tell Daisy together," Oliver said. Lucas stared at him.

"Why?" he asked.

"You're her bloody coach, now get off your arse. We're going."

* * *

 _Mara rushed into Lucas' apartment, catching him on the sofa watching a football match._

" _What brings you here?" Lucas said, glancing at her._

" _Turn that stupid game off. We've got something more important to do," she shouted, her blue eyes bright. Lucas smiled slightly, but didn't take his eyes off the TV._

" _And what would that be?" he asked, pretending not to care. Mara huffed and walked over standing in front of the TV. She held up a thick envelope._

" _Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that I've possibly gotten my first offer letter," she said, grinning. Lucas raised his eyebrows slightly._

" _Oh, is that so?" he said, leaning to the side. Mara stepped up and punched him in the shoulder._

" _You fucking idiot. Stop pretending you don't care," she shouted, grinning. Lucas laughed and muted the TV, sitting up._

" _Well, open it," he said, genuinely excited for his little sister. He had been helping her prepare for this moment for years. Mara took a deep breath and ripped the envelope open, pulling out the papers. She started with the letter first. After a few moments of silence Lucas motioned with his hand for her to hurry. Mara looked down at him, grinning even wider._

" _They offered me first string," she said breathlessly._

" _Who?" Lucas asked, standing._

" _Stockholm Wolverines," she said, starting to jump up and down. "I'M FIRST STRING SEEKER FOR THE STOCKHOLM WOLVERINES!"_

 _Lucas reached down and picked his little sister up, swinging her around the living room._

" _I knew they'd offer you the position," he said once he placed her back down on the ground._

" _Of course they would. I am the best new seeker in the League," she said, scoffing slightly._

" _Don't get too big an ego on me… there's only room for one in our family and-"_

" _Right, yours," Mara said, grinning._

" _I was going to say Erik, actually," Lucas said, walking to the kitchen._

" _What are you doing?" Mara called, pulling her jacket off. Lucas returned with a bottle of top shelf tequila and two shot glasses._

" _Thought you came over to celebrate," he said, grinning. Mara looked at the bottle and back at her older brother._

" _Luke… you remember the last time I had tequila," she warned, though Lucas could tell she wanted it. Lucas chuckled._

" _I highly doubt you could get into that much trouble here. If you pass out, I'll just move you to the guest room," he said. Mara smiled and grabbed one of the glasses from him, holding it out. Lucas filling both and set the bottle on the table._

" _To Mara Nilsson, may she continue on the legacy started by myself and quickly become the top seeker in the Scandinavian League!" he boomed and started to drink before Mara stopped him._

" _And… the next first string seeker on the Nordic National Team for the World Cup," she said, grinning cheekily. Lucas laughed loudly._

" _You're good, Mar, but I'm not sure if you're that good," he said. "Maybe in four years." Mara pouted slightly, but then clinked her glass against his and they both took the shots._

" _So how does it feel to no longer be the only professional quidditch player in the family?"_

* * *

Lucas walked around the quiet house as the sun set, relishing the calm after his momentary trip into the chaos known as the Woods' apartment teeming with family. After he and Oliver had delivered the news to Daisy, he made a quick exit. Stepping into the den, he paused and looked over at the upright piano against the windows. His mother had insisted that all three of them learn to play, going as far as teaching them herself.

He sighed and stepped over, pulling the bench out and sitting. He placed his fingers on the cold ivory keys, thinking for a moment over what he wanted to play. He then started to play "Adieu to the Piano," closing his eyes as the music flowed from his memory. He wasn't amazing, but it did help him to decompress most days. And he enjoyed it. Hugo used to joke that he should have given up the pick up lines and just played piano if he wanted a date. Mara would lie on the sofa in the living room of his old apartment in Stockholm reading while he would play. She resented the lessons more than he and his brother and refused to play once their mother let her quit studying.

Lucas' mind began to wander. The opening of the season was still a couple months away. Now that Hastings was gone, they could start learning some of the more complicated plays he had in mind. With Bray still playing catchup and Daisy getting oriented, he didn't think they could start using them regularly until the second half. It would take some time for them to get them down enough to use in matches. But the team was strong. He felt they had a good chance at going far this season - maybe not the playoffs, but he could definitely get them close.

Kelly, Wright and Cunningham were solid and used to playing together by now. Kingfisher had the makings of a strong beater, one of the better ones in the League. He Campbell worked well together. They weren't as fast as the Woods, granted they were identical brothers and had probably been in sync their whole lives. Bray concerned him, though he was the best option they had at the time when Jamie Wood left. If he focused and worked hard, he would get better.

Then his mind wandered to Daisy - as it usually did. She proved she was ready for first string today. And she would only get better. But she needed some strength training. She already exerted a fair amount of control on the pitch, but she could tighten that up more. She had only improved since that spring in 2019 when he watched her and her brothers win the Hogwarts House Cup. Truth be told, he wish he could have had the opportunity to coach all four together. If they ever made it on the same team again, and he were the coach, oh the insane plays he could develop for them.

Lucas sighed. He'd probably never coach the Woods together. Their father was already hellbent on getting them on Puddlemere. In a few years when White retired, he'd come courting Daisy. So Lucas needed to utilize her as much as possible until then.

Lucas gazed out the window at the countryside spread out around the house. Never had he ever thought he would end up here. And coaching. Thinking back to the life he used to have, it was nothing compared to how he lived today. No more parties or women. He was cocky and wild then - one of the top keepers in the League. He thought nothing could stop him. Every weekend he was out at some party or event when he wasn't playing matches - sometimes during the week as well. He had a ton of friends - or so he thought. After his injury knocked him out of playing, they all eventually stopped checking in and inviting him out. The only one who stuck around was Hugo. Even now, he primarily only spent time with Hugo and his wife. Maybe Hugo was right in that he needed to get to know more people.

Maybe attempting dating again.

Lucas chuckled to himself. He was kidding himself if he thought he was ready for dating. He didn't know how to loosen up anymore. Make jokes. What was once so natural to him in the past felt awkward and forced nowadays. He only felt comfortable when he was with Hugo and Elizabeth or out on the pitch.

His thoughts veered towards the older Woods - Iris and Oliver. They seemed nice enough. Maybe he'd try spending time with them. Get Oliver to trust him more so that he would lay off on his more ambitious plays involving Daisy.

He shook his head slightly at the thought of spending more time with the Woods and their extended family. Okay, maybe not. Lucas wasn't sure if he could handle that chaos. Not at the moment anyway.

He's see how he did at the upcoming picnic first.

* * *

 **Hoping to get the next chapter up tomorrow and keep on schedule, but I haven't finished it or the one after it, so we'll see (the chapters after those two are either finished or mostly finished, so shouldn't hold me back on posting). I'm on late shift, which means I'll have plenty of time to work on it. I'll admit, I got sidetracked today by a oneshot that's nearly complete. Got the inspiration while writing the next chapter - which includes the older Weasleys, Woods and Potters discussing their kids and pregnancies... Thought I'd maybe do a short one on how Iris found out she was pregnant with the triplets. Not done yet, but hoping to post it in the next few days. Though I'll prioritize this one tomorrow. Especially since after work I'll be up most of the night finishing my Halloween costume before the party I'm hosting on Saturday...**

 **Seriously guys, I've got pages of notes plotting out the next three stories... Here's hoping that translates into some quick writing and posting... I'm kind of stuck on the main plots for Dominique's and James' stories, though I have ideas of what I want to happen. Just need an overarching theme to them... And I keep going back and forth over whether I want to include that one story line that I took out of Daisy's because I thought it was too much... I want to, but I'm not sure if I want to...**

 **twilightlover427: I'm working on that. When I first started this, it was primarily going to be Nilsson's side of a lot of the events from _Life & Times_, but planning to do some revisions and expand beyond that. While so much of Nilsson's current story is wrapped up in Daisy, I think there needs to be more than just that. Though it's tough... I kind of made him a hermit by accident...**

 **As always, thank you for reading!**


	4. Families

Lucas shifted uncomfortably as he stood next to Oliver and Iris Wood while they chatted with their various family members they had invited to the cookout. He recognized the Minister of Magical Games and Sports Angelina Weasley and assumed the red-headed man making jokes next to her was her husband - George. Next to them stood Harry Potter - Iris' nephew - and his wife, Ginny. He recognized her from her days on the Harpies. It would appear that quidditch did run in the family.

Lucas looked around, taking in the large country house and expansive backyard, with the quidditch pitch. Wood had certainly done well for himself. A rather long playing career followed by what would most likely be a long, successful coaching career. It was no wonder they could afford such a large place. Granted they needed it.

"A bit of something, isn't it," George asked, catching the calm coach looking at the pitch. Lucas nodded.

"It's the first time I've seen someone have a pitch in their backyard," he replied before taking a sip of his lemonade.

"It was the only reason Oliver chose to build here," Iris said, rolling her eyes. "Only place big enough for a full-size pitch."

"We needed the space. We had three boys on the way," Oliver replied.

"Don't remind me," Iris said. "As much as I love the boys, they did not make life easy for us. If they weren't getting detention at school, they were using George's products on Daisy." Lucas chuckled, imagining much younger versions of the triplets aggravating their sister. It reminded him a lot of his own relationship with Mara. Granted, she could always give as good as she got.

"Kind of makes you want another, doesn't it Iris?" George said grinning as all three women rolled their eyes.

"I've told you, George, we're not having another," Iris said pointedly. "I'm too old."

"Come on, 49 isn't that old," George replied as Oliver laughed and wrapped his arm around Iris' waist. Lucas' eyebrows shot up. While he knew the Woods were older - Daisy was 18 and the triplets 20, after all - Iris didn't look nearly old enough to be almost 50.

"What do you say, Red? Shall we try for another now that those four are out of the house?" he said.

"No, Oliver," Iris said flatly. She glanced over at Lucas, who looked slightly confused. "Our family has a bit of a thing for placing wagers. George here lost a fair amount of money betting on how many children we'd have. If we have one more, he wins." Lucas nodded his understanding.

"I won that one," Ginny said grinning. "I knew after the boys, there was no way you would have two or three more."

"What about you, Lucas?" Angelina asked suddenly, her eyes twinkling. "You seem like you must be the cool uncle type." Lucas laughed softly and nodded.

"My older brother Erik has two that I spoil rotten every time I go home to visit. He's actually asked me to lay off, lest I ruin them. And now my best friend and his wife are expecting their first. They live in Ireland, so I assume I'll probably end up spoiling theirs as well," he said.

"Right, Hugo Larssen with the Kestrals, isn't it?" Oliver asked. Lucas nodded.

"We've been friends since Durmstrang and started out in the Scandinavian League together," he replied.

"Durmstrang? Shame you weren't there when Krum was… my younger brother had a bit of a love affair with him," George said.

"Unfortunately, no. But he left quite the legacy," Lucas said. "Certainly made quidditch a bit more competitive."

"How so?" Angelina asked. "I must admit, ever since the Triwizard Tournament in 1994, I've always been curious about Durmstrang. Don't know much about it."

"They were pretty secretive back in the day, though they've loosened up a bit. And expanded since they started allowing muggleborn in 1999. By the time I started in 2002, they had adopted the same schooling system as Hogwarts - four houses and such," Lucas said. "But as for quidditch - everyone wanted to be the next Krum. There was a lot of competition to get on the house teams. And matches could turn into blood baths."

"Well, he was brilliant during the tournament," Harry said. "And I saw him at the World Cup that year... nothing short of phenomenal."

"So I've heard, though you ended up winning the tournament, did you not?" Lucas asked. Harry smiled sadly and nodded, no doubt thinking of the tragic ending that had the tournament cancelled permanently.

"Did you ever play with him?" George asked, moving the conversation back to happier topics. "Being in the the League up north and all." Lucas shook his head no.

"I started on reserves in 2009, after he retired. He only played on the national Bulgarian Team in 2014 when he came out of retirement," he said. "I had been on first string with the Lynxes for about four years at that time, but didn't make the Nordic Team until 2018."

"I remember playing against Bulgaria in 2002 and 2014," Oliver said. "Brutal matches. We tried as hard as we could and still weren't any match for Krum."

"Ah, but Scotland never was that good," George countered with a grin. Iris rolled her eyes.

"George, do not start that again," she warned as she glanced at Oliver, who was scowling at George.

"Well, now they've got four Woods for the national team. I'd like to see whoever thinks they can beat them next summer!" he declared loudly. Lucas laughed softly as Oliver looked over at him. "I'm serious, Nilsson. Get her ready. I'll have Jamie ready and Diggle's working on Remus and Alan." Lucas nodded, sensing the older coach was quite serious, if the fanatical glint in his eyes was anything to go by. He wanted Daisy to make first string as well, but Oliver looked as though he would commit murder to get her on the team.

"So… I take it after several months you're settled in here in Britain?" Iris asked Lucas, desperate to change the subject from anything quidditch related.

"I managed to find a nice little place in a village in the countryside," he said, grateful. He was worried the conversation would veer towards the 2018 World Cup and his accident. "It's similar to this."

"Did you live in the countryside in Sweden?" Ginny asked. Lucas shook his head no.

"I grew up in Stockholm. My parents still have a home there as does my brother," he said. Iris glanced at Oliver, her eyebrows raised. It would seem as though the normally silent coach was finally opening up. "I suppose that's why I wanted to live in the countryside. Get some fresh air."

"There's nothing quite like living in the country," Oliver said, looking around the backyard and pool, now seeming quite calm again. "As much as I loved living in the Alley, I'm glad we moved."

"Me as well. Though I'm glad we held on to the flat for the children. That has certainly saved us - and them - a bit of money," Iris said. Lucas looked at them.

"The apartment, that was your old place?" he asked. Iris nodded.

"Oliver bought it before the war. We lived there for a couple years afterwards. Until we found out we were having triplets," she said. Lucas nodded. He looked over and saw the three men goofing off with Wills and Kelly.

"I imagine it wasn't easy having those three underfoot," he commented. The group erupted into laughter.

"That would be an understatement," Angelina said. "George and I would watch them from time to time and it nearly made me not want children at all."

"Surely they weren't that bad," Oliver countered. "Just a wee bit rambunctious from time to time."

"They got into a stash of prototypes I had at home," George said. "Nearly destroyed our sitting room."

"They were getting into something," Harry said. "Didn't they nearly set the pitch on fire one summer when they were still at Hogwarts?"

"They almost burned down the Burrow one summer as well," Ginny said. "Mum nearly lost it that time... I haven't seen her that angry since Fred and George nearly blew up the house with all their experiments during school."

Lucas found himself laughing as he better understand Daisy's near constant annoyance with her three older brothers.

"They were constantly getting into Oliver's broom cupboard when they were tots," Iris said. "I honestly don't know how they were doing it. We locked it with magic." Lucas chuckled slightly, looking back at the three. Jamie was frowning slightly as Remus, Alan and Wills were all laughing loudly.

"Yea, but you should have seen some of the things Fred and I used to do," George said with a chuckle, getting Lucas' attention again.

"I still remember when you nearly blew up Hogwarts with fireworks my fifth year," Harry said.

"You nearly blew up your school?" Lucas asked, slightly skeptical. George nodded and grinned.

"My twin brother and I. We realized that we didn't really need to finish our schooling, so decided to leave on a bit of a dramatic note," he said. "I hear they still have that bit of swamp left…"

* * *

" _Lucas! Stop teasing your sister and help me get the food outside!" Alice Nilsson yelled from the kitchen. Mara smiled smugly before sticking her tongue out. "I saw that Mara!" Lucas chuckled as he walked into the house. He stepped into the kitchen and waved his wand, levitating the various dishes and guiding them out to the picnic table set up in the back garden while his mother finished up the last of the dishes. Erik was sitting at the end of the table next to his wife, Gretchen, who was sitting back in her chair, casually rubbing her growing belly. She was due shortly before Christmas. Mara was sitting across from Gretchen, patiently waiting for the food._

 _Lucas directed the dishes to the table as his mother followed with the last of it._

" _Where's your father?" she asked, looking around._

" _Here, my love," Elias Nilsson said, stepping out of the house towards the group, smiling. He walked over and kissed his wife on the cheek._

" _Merlin, can't you give us a break?" Mara said, a grimace on her face. Lucas chuckled as he sat next to her._

" _What, can't handle a bit of PDA?" he asked, shoving her slightly._

" _Not with our parents," she groaned. Erik and Gretchen laughed._

" _Come on, Mara. We didn't realize you were such a prude," Erik said before kissing Gretchen on the cheek. Mara stuck her tongue out at him._

" _Now, Mara," her father said as he sat next to her mother. The group then began filling their plates. "Be nice."_

" _Well, we've got one married off with a little one on the way, when will you settle down Lucas?" Alice asked, looking at her second oldest expectantly. Lucas chuckled._

" _Mother, you ask me this every week. And the answer is still the same-"_

" _There are too many beautiful women out there to settle on just one," Mara completed for him. Lucas playfully glared at her. Mrs. Nilsson sighed._

" _One of these days, Lucas..." she said. Lucas turned to look at her, grinning._

" _One of these days, what?" he asked. "I'll find 'the one'?"_

" _Mom, not everyone is meant to settle down," Mara said, shaking her head._

" _Talking about Lucas or yourself?" Elias asked as a ripple of laughter spread through the family._

" _Both," Mara said, grinning as she glanced at her older brother. "Besides, Erik and Gretchen will fulfill the grandchildren quota." Gretchen's eyes widened._

" _Just how many are you expecting from us?" she asked. "Because I'm thinking two, maybe three, tops."_

" _Trust me, we'll accept as many as we get," Mrs. Nilsson said, looking down at her daughter-in-law. She then caught Mara's eye and grinned, turning her full attention to Lucas. "By the way, Lucas… tell me about this Olivia and why we haven't been introduced yet." Lucas stared at his mother for a moment, confused as to how she had heard about Olivia. Lucas had only been seeing her a few weeks. A soft giggle from next to him answered that question. He turned and glared down at Mara, who was smiling smugly._

 _Clearing his throat, he turned to address his mother, who was waiting patiently with an amused look on her face._

" _We met at a party last month," he said. "She's friends with the seeker for the Karasjok Kites. I haven't brought her around because it's still very new."_

" _Ah, a new relationship. How many does that make this year?" Elias asked his wife._

" _I think this is number six, dear," she said._

" _No, it's five. He said the girl who was vacationing from London doesn't count," Erik said from his end of the table. Lucas rolled his eyes._

" _Well… what's she like?" Gretchen asked._

" _She's a potioneer," he replied._

" _And?" his mother said. Lucas looked at the amused looks on his family._

" _She's very kind," he said before taking a large bite of food._

" _Basically, she's drop dead gorgeous and he's been too busy with… other things… that he has no idea what she's like," Mara said with a sigh. Lucas' eyes widened as he looked down at his sister._

" _Seriously, Mara? We just started dating! We're still learning about each other!" he shouted as the rest of the table erupted into laughter._

" _But it's true!" she shouted back._

" _She is very kind! And she's funny! She likes quidditch as well!" Lucas said, looking around the table. As always, no matter how cocky or arrogant he acted on the pitch or out at a party or a bar, his family was always there to knock him down a few pegs._

" _A potioneer, eh? Like your mother. Be careful, son. You piss her off and she very well could slip you something unpleasant in revenge," Elias warned. Lucas looked at him._

" _You say this as though you have experience," he replied. His father glanced at his mother, who smiled brightly._

" _How long were you tongue-tied for?" she asked sweetly._

" _Three weeks," Mr. Nilsson said. He looked at his son. "Really, Lucas… watch it. If she's anything like your mother, she'll be incredibly inventive and creative with it."_

 _All three Nilsson children stared at their parents, slightly shocked that their sweet, soft-spoken mother could do any such thing as slipping a potion to someone out of revenge._

" _Don't look at me like that. He deserved it. Went and forgot my birthday for the third year in a row!" she exclaimed. "Besides, it wasn't anything dangerous… just made it slightly difficult to talk for a bit._

" _I was supposed to give a presentation to the minister that week!" Elias shouted, though the smile on face showed he wasn't particularly angry about it now._

" _If I remember correctly, you were able to reschedule that," Alice said, smiling. "And you never forgot my birthday again."_

" _Thankfully you forgave me," he said._

" _Of course I did… I'm madly in love with you," Alice added, reaching over and grabbing her husband's hand. He chuckled and lifted it to his lips._

" _Of course! You're the only witch in this world crazy enough to put up with me," he replied. Mara fake gagged next to Lucas._

" _We're trying to eat!" she said, rolling her eyes. Lucas glanced down at his younger sister._

" _I don't think it's me you have to worry about," he said finally, causing the whole family to laugh again._

" _It's both of you…"_

* * *

 **Finished it! And I'm finished with the following chapter as well. Which means I should be able to keep posting regularly (though maybe not this weekend as it's Halloween and I'm hosting a party).**

 **Anyway, I had to get creative with this chapter as there is pretty much nil in terms of information on Durmstrang. But, as the Nilssons are in Sweden and Durmstrang is located in either Norway or Sweden, it's obvious that Lucas and his family went there. I took some liberties and made it less dark now that Voldie's gone.**

 **Guest: Thanks so much! I'm glad that you enjoy them! It might be better to start with _Saving Iris_ and work up through _A Life Worth Living_ as a lot of stuff (especially in the beginning) deals with things that happen in the first story. Daisy's dorm was Lisette, Eliza, Sarah, Daisy and Lucy and Toby is a Gryffindor, but he's one year ahead of Daisy, which is why sometimes he's with them and sometimes he's not. No worries about the questions! Feel free to ask away!**

 **As always, thanks for reading! And special thanks to new follower, JulPer12!**


	5. Furiously Beautiful

Lucas held back as the three men walked up onto the porch of the large country house. While he had been proud of Daisy watching as she held her own against the Falcons seeker and Wanderers chaser, he was now suddenly quite nervous to be following Weathers and Diggle to speak with Oliver Wood. He had actually tried to talk them out of it when they showed up at his door. He promised that he would deal with Daisy on Monday before practice, but the two were insistent. Truth be told, Lucas thought they were a bit afraid of what Wood would do to them if they didn't inform him.

He took a deep breath and waited patiently after Weathers knocked on the door.

"Courage, Nilsson," Diggle said softly.

"Trust me, I know from experience what he's like," Lucas replied just before the door opened. Iris answered, confused as to why the three coaches were on her front porch so late at night.

"Rufus, Albert, Lucas… to what do we owe this pleasure?" she asked, ever the gracious hostess.

"Well, Iris, there was a bit of an altercation at the Halloween party tonight," Diggle said. "Might we come in to discuss it with you and Oliver?" She nodded, even more perplexed, though now appearing worried. She stepped aside and motioned for them to come in. Lucas followed the two into the living room, where Oliver was sitting on the sofa, looking through the Daily Prophet, a glass of whisky on the table in front of him next to a glass of wine and novel. The couple had been enjoying a quiet night at home, it appeared. Oliver looked up as the three walked in, stern looks on their faces. He sighed and put the paper down.

"What did those ruddy triplets do this year?" he asked.

"Actually… it was Daisy," Diggle said somewhat nervously. If Wood hadn't started glowering at that moment, Lucas would have been tempted to laugh. Diggle was usually full of bluster but looked downright cowed at the moment. Oliver stood, his face alternating between worried and furious.

"What happened?" he demanded as Iris walked passed the three to stand next to her husband, her brow furrowed.

"Well, Nilsson was there, but it seems she hexed my seeker - he's at St. Mungo's at the moment getting sorted - and broke Nigel Broadmoor's nose," Weathers said. "We're not sure what exactly happened." Oliver settled his sights on Lucas.

"Nilsson? Care to elaborate?" Oliver said somewhat dangerously.

"Well… she was provoked," he said simply.

"Damn right, she was. Daisy doesn't just attack people for no reason. _How_ was she provoked?" he asked.

"Daisy had her reasons, though I'm not sure I feel comfortable explaining them," Lucas said, suddenly not wanting to betray her trust in him. "But she confronted the two over something and then next thing anyone knew, Hardwick was on the floor and Broadmoor's nose was bleeding." He tried to hide the admiration in his voice, but found he couldn't. Daisy on the warpath was something to behold. Oliver was silent a few moments.

"Dear," Iris said, placing her hand on his arm. Oliver then exploded, grabbing a lamp and throwing it against the wall. All three coaches jumped.

"I knew this wouldn't go well," Diggle whispered.

"What the hell did they do to her?!" Oliver shouted, looking at the three coaches. "No. Don't answer that. I want to hear it from Daisy."

"Oliver, it's late," Iris said, trying to calm him.

"I don't care! I need to make sure my daughter is safe!" he shouted back. Iris took a deep breath.

"Very well. I suppose I should take us there. It'll be faster since I can get passed the wards," she conceded. She looked over at the three men and nodded. Diggle and Weathers began walking towards the couple, obviously knowing something that Lucas didn't. He cautiously followed and watched as Iris grabbed Oliver's hand and then reached out to Weathers. He then took Diggle's hand. The short coach looked at Lucas, eyebrows raised, as he held his hand to him. Lucas took it, confused.

"Here we go," Iris said. The next second the living room had disappeared and the five of them were suddenly standing in the middle of the London flat. Daisy was standing there with her brothers and Kingfisher, now dressed in pajamas. At first she looked shocked to see them there, but shock quickly shifted into annoyance as her father ran to her.

Lucas sighed. This was turning out to be the long night…

* * *

 _Lucas walked towards the pitch, whistling. He hadn't back to Durmstrang in years. But he had the weekend off from matches and decided to pop in and surprise Mara. He was grateful the school and lightened up on its security measures since his parents attended. It seemed like it had been a much darker place back then. But as with many things after the war, even Durmstrang found itself changing to keep up with the times._

 _Lucas had enjoyed his years at Durmstrang. He had been captain of his house - Sleipnir - from year four to seven, being one of the youngest captains in the school's recent history. He had scored well in all his classes, enjoying special treatment from professors and students alike. Mara had followed him, being sorted into the same house and now in her sixth year, was in her fourth year as the team's seeker. It helped that he worked with her during breaks despite his busy schedule. Her first match was coming up soon, and he wanted to check in on her and see how she was doing with training. Mara had a bit of a riotous relationship with her team captain Leif Hagan. While the rest of the school easily saw her as a talented seeker, Leif was of the mind that when it came to quidditch, men would always be better._

 _Which infuriated Mara, to say the least._

" _IT'S NOT FAIR HAGEN! I'M BETTER THAN LYSANDER, AND YOU FUCKING KNOW IT!" Lucas heard as he neared the pitch. He stopped whistling and began hurrying to the field in case he needed to stop his sister from hexing her captain. He sped through the tunnel that led to the pitch and looked over, seeing Mara squaring off against the much taller, much bigger Hagen, her hands on her hips and her broom forgotten on the ground next to her._

" _It's Lysander's last year. He needs the chance to play so that the scouts will see him," Hagen said, glaring down at the blonde._

" _It's bullshit! Lysander doesn't have a chance at getting signed. You're only moving him up from reserves because he's your friend and you're trying to sabotage my chances with the scouts," she shouted back. Hagen smiled, which even from Lucas' vantage point several meters away, looked downright menacing. He frowned as he watched the exchange, waiting for when he'd need to step in to stop his sister from doing something that would get her expelled._

" _Ah, how sweet. Little Nilsson here thinks she's got a chance in the League," he said as a couple of his cronies laughed behind him. The other half of the team scowled at him._

" _Seriously, Hagen. Mara is the best seeker in the school. Move her down and we might as well hand the Cup to Fossegrimmen," one of the chasers said, speaking of the house that focused primarily on music and the arts. They were notorious for coming in last in quidditch house rankings each year._

 _The team was now split, with two chasers and the keeper siding with Mara while Hagen and the two beaters stood opposite them with another tall student in a practice uniform that Lucas assumed was the aforementioned Lysander._

" _She'll get her chance next year," Hagen growled. Mara's hand twitched and Lucas knew she was about to go for her wand, though he still stood back, waiting._

" _Like hell! I'm playing first string this year!" she shouted, narrowing eyes at the older student._

" _How about this? Set the snitch loose. Whoever catches it gets first string for the year," Lucas said loudly, stepping towards the team. Mara's eyes widened as she noticed her older brother. She looked back to Hagen and Lysander, both who seemed slightly awestruck to see the professional quidditch player. He had been first string keeper for Lynxes for about six years and was easily one of the most popular players in the League. Not to mention, he was breaking records left and right._

 _The press were already calling him the best player in the League since Viktor Krum._

" _What do you say?" Mara asked. Hagen looked from Mara to Lysander. "I think it's fair." Lysander grinned smugly._

" _I do as well," he said. Lucas willed himself not to smile, knowing that Lysander was in for an ass-whooping. He had been working with Mara all summer and she was near unbeatable._

" _Very well, let's begin," Lucas said, stepping over to the box that contained the balls. The rest of the house team lined up on the sidelines and Mara and Lysander stepped out and hopped on their brooms, taking positions facing each other. Lysander was scowling at Mara, while the young girl calmly smiled at him._

" _And… GO!" Lucas shouted, waving his wand and releasing the snitch. It flew up and over towards the two players. Lysander made to grab it as it passed by him, but nearly fell of his broom as the snitch flew off to right. Mara followed it with her eagle eye vision and sped down the pitch._

" _Smart idea," a voice said from next to him. Lucas glanced down and noticed the keeper was standing next to him, watching Mara with an amused look on his face. "There's no way Lysander can beat her. He's too slow and Mara is a fucking speed demon." Lucas smiled and turned back to watching his sister spin, flip and zoom her way across the pitch, often leaving a confused Lysander in her wake._

" _I've been working with her a lot," he said._

" _But… aren't you a keeper?" the keeper asked._

" _I am, but I used to develop plays and training strategies for my team when I was here at Durmstrang. Found I had a bit of a knack for it, so I've been training Mara the past few years," he said, his eyes glued to his sister._

 _It was all over in 20 minutes when Mara landed on the pitch, triumphantly holding the snitch up. Lucas smiled and clapped._

" _I think that's a new record, Mar," he said, walking over to her. "The last time we worked together, it took you 30 minutes. And that's with the bludgers I charmed to follow you."_

" _Well, yea, I'm the next best seeker after Victor Krum, after all," she said, rolling her eyes. She then turned to look at Hagen as a red-faced Lysander thumped to the ground behind her. "I won, fair and square."_

 _Hagen glared at her, his eyes flickering over to Lysander for a moment, before he sighed._

" _Fine. Nilsson keeps her first string spot," he said. Mara grinned and did a little dance, happy to keep her spot._

" _Maybe if I had a famous quidditch player for a brother, I would have made first string too," one of the beaters muttered. Immediately, Mara was advancing on the stout player, her wand out and pointed at him._

" _Oh, so you think I'm only on the team because of my brother? Are you blind? Did you not just see me beat Lysander?" she said, glaring at him._

" _Mara… please don't. I don't want to have to talk the Headmaster out of expelling you… again," Lucas said boredly. The beater's eyes widened as he took in the deadly look in Mara's eyes. He didn't want to test her hexing abilities._

" _Sorry!" he said, running off to the locker room, following Hagen, Lysander and the other beater. Mara turned and grinned as the remaining players walked up and slapped her on the back. She grinned at Lucas and mouthed 'Thank you,' to him. He just shrugged._

" _So… you guys want to show me what you're working on?" Lucas asked. "Maybe I can help…"_

* * *

 **Hope everyone had a good weekend! Halloween party was a success and I spent most of the day on the sofa recovering... Nearly finished with this one, so should probably get to work on Jamie's story so I can start posting shortly after I finish this one...**

 **BookwormRehab: Thanks! And yes, Nilsson needs to quite being such a hermit... He needs more friends, haha!**

 **Guest: Thanks! And yes, that always bugged me as well. At the time I couldn't come up with a good reason, but thought it was about time to address that little hangup. Hastings isn't all bad - just a bit gruff.**

 **Hope you all enjoy this chapter! Thanks for reading!**


	6. Realizations

"Lucas! It's so good to see you!" Elizabeth said, hugging the tall man. Lucas smiled and glanced over at Hugo, who was walking back and forth in the living room, rocking a small, crying bundle. "Sorry… we had her calm and then she started fussing again." Lucas stepped towards Hugo as Elizabeth shut the door behind him.

"It's nothing," he said. Hugo looked up at him, the slightly terrified look that only a first-time father would have settling on his face.

"Take her. You always seemed to get her calm," he said, placing the baby in Lucas' arms. Lucas looked down at the small infant and started slowly rocking her, softly singing a lullaby that his mother used to sing to him. Slowly, the tiny babe's face, which had been scrunched up as she cried, softened and she peered up at him with dark blue eyes.

"I swear he has the magic touch," Elizabeth said with a sigh. "Someday, some woman is going to be very happy to have you around to quiet the children." Lucas chuckled and glanced over at the slightly worn looking couple.

"I'm not so sure about that. He spends more time coming up with plays than anything," Hugo responded.

"It's better than when he was chasing anything in a skirt," Elizabeth joked. "I'm just going to check on dinner." She stepped out of the living room and down the hall into the kitchen.

"Seriously, though, have you given any thought to settling down? You do look good with a baby in your arms," Hugo quipped. Lucas smiled at his friend before looking back down at the baby.

"You sound like Wood," he said. Hugo chuckled.

"Probably trying to remind you to find someone your own age and to not stare at his daughter so much," he replied. Lucas frowned slightly and walked over to a rocking chair where he sat and continued rocking the baby as her eyes slowly blinked closed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said. Hugo sat on the sofa and sighed.

"It was obviously written on your face at the ball," he said. Lucas' frown deepened.

"Was not. Because there is nothing there but admiration. Besides, she reminds me too much of Mara," Lucas said quickly. Hugo laughed softly.

"Keep telling yourself that. You're attracted to her, admit it," he said.

"Really, Hugo, you're reaching," Lucas said. Elizabeth walked back into the living room and sat next to her husband.

"Should be ready in about five minutes. How was your day, Lucas?" she asked.

"Good. I hit the pitch for a bit," he said.

"How's your leg?" Hugo asked, slightly concerned.

"Hurt a little, but I didn't push it. Besides, Wood showed up and we got a few hours of one-on-one in. I wasn't doing too much straining," he said, looked back down at the now sleeping baby. Hugo's eyebrows shot up as he glanced down at his wife. "I may not be able to play anymore, but I wasn't about to let anything keep me from flying again."

"How was practice, then?" Hugo asked. Lucas was silent a few moments.

"I told her about Mara," he said finally. Elizabeth sat up.

"You hadn't told her?" she asked. Lucas looked over at the couple.

"Not really something you bring up in the middle of practice," he said. "I didn't tell her everything. There are some things she doesn't need to know."

"And you're sure the only thing you see her as is a little sister?" Hugo asked, a hint of laughter in his voice. Lucas rolled his eyes.

"Positive," he said. "She reminds me so much of Mara…" He looked down at the sleeping child again, smiling. "She reminds me of what Mara could have been… Almost as though Mara can live on through Daisy."

The husband and wife shared a look, saying they thought that if it wasn't something more, it would soon be. While there was a remarkable similarity between the two seekers, they were still very different and the young Wood seeker had a lot of qualities that had attracted Lucas in the past. It was only a matter of time.

* * *

" _So how long before you have one of those and make me an aunt again?" Mara asked, peering over Lucas' shoulder. They were sitting in the hospital room while Erik and his wife looked on. Gretchen was worn out but surrounded in the glow of new motherhood. Lucas looked up at Mara and laughed softly_

" _Might need a wife first," he said. Erik snorted._

" _That'll never happen," he said. Mara scowled over at him._

" _I think it will… Lucas just needs to get the wild out of him first," she said._

" _What about you?" She looked down at her brother._

" _I'll never get the wild out of me," she stated, causing both her older brothers to laugh. They were certainly sure that would be true._

" _It'll take the right sort of man to handle you," Erik said. Mara shot him a look. Erik raised his hands defensively. "I'm just saying that it'll take someone special. No one else will be good enough." Mara rolled her eyes._

" _Still playing the protector, I see," she said. She looked back down at Lucas and the baby. "You're good with the little ones. Hurry up and calm down so I can play with your gorgeous children." She reached down and gently caressed the baby's cheek._

" _Or you can just move in with us and take care of ours," Gretchen said._

" _How many are you planning to have?" Lucas asked. The two looked at each other and shrugged._

" _However many we can handle," Erik replied._

 _"No... we're having two," Gretchen said. "Labor is not fun." Lucas chuckled._

" _I'll come visit, but I'm not moving in," he warned. "Your children need a cool uncle."_

" _And a cool aunt," Mara interjected._

" _You're both professional quidditch players, you already win in the cool department," Erik replied. "Just keep the free tickets coming."_

 _"Yes, we need to show your children how uncool you are," Mara said with a cheeky grin. Erik frown slightly._

 _"I'm cool," he retorted. All three adults looked at him dubiously._

 _"You are the biggest nerd. It's a wonder Gretchen agreed to marry you," Lucas said._

 _"He's a sweetheart, that's why I married him," Gretchen replied. Erik looked down at her._

 _"And I'm cool," he said emphatically._

 _"I think that depends on your definition of cool, darling," she said with a smile._

 _"I hate you all," Erik replied, walking over to Lucas. He took the baby from his arms, gazing down lovingly at her. "At least little Enid here will always think I'm cool." Mara snorted._

 _"Until she grows up a little and realizes that you're not," she said. Erik shot her a look._

 _"Don't ruin my moment, Mar."_

* * *

Later that night after dinner, Lucas was back home sitting in his living room with his playbook spread out on the coffee table and a mug of tea. He was looking over the new plays he wanted the team to start on as soon as they hit the pitch again. He watched as the tiny players zipped around on the page, the seeker squeezing through impossibly small spaces. His mind drifted back to his talk with Daisy that day.

It was true that she reminded him of his sister. It was true that he saw her as a second chance at making something of his life. This season was rookie of the year, but he also saw the national team and World Cup in her future - perhaps a few MVP awards. There really was no limit in what she could accomplish, much more than Mara. She had a drive and hunger to prove herself. To step out of her brothers and father's shadows.

But there was a burning anger that would spark up if you crossed her. The Pixie was strong, there was no doubt about that, and she had fire. Her emotions ran much stronger - they would completely consume her in a way that would spill out. And yet, she still managed to control them. Pushing when needed and stepping back when it was called for - it was the same control she exerted on the field. Beyond that, underneath it all, he could sense a vulnerability there. Daisy Wood had many layers. Yes, she was possibly the next best seeker in the League, but at the same time, she was still very much an 18-year-old young woman trying to figure things out.

Lucas felt something stir in his chest that took him by surprise. He thought of her bright smile and flashing green eyes. The pure joy that would radiate throughout her entire body when she landed a trick right. It was the same thing that flinted through his head that day at the hospital when he was waiting to hear if she was okay. The thing that he worried he wouldn't get to see again. But then he thought back to the Halloween party, watching her jinx Hardwick and then punch the chaser.

He sighed and chuckled to himself, shaking his head. He needed to get the pixie out of his head if he wanted to focus on finishing these plays. It was happening more lately - ever since the accident.

" _Someday you're going to fall madly in love with some girl and I'm going to laugh my ass off over how mad she drives you."_

Lucas stopped and looked up. There was no way. But it was too late. A deep warmth began spreading through his chest as he thought of Daisy's smile again. He looked up at the ceiling.

"You're laughing now, aren't you," he said softly. "Well the joke is on you… I don't feel that way about Daisy." He shook his head, as though he were trying to shake the feeling away. There was no way he was falling for his seeker.

* * *

 **Hello fans! I've somehow managed to finish all the chapters for this! Just need to do some cleaning up and fleshing out in some areas, but I'm still good to post every day for the most part. Man, some of these chapters killed me to write... as it they were pretty emotional experiences. But I'm quite happy with how it's turned out.**

 **Now to get started on Jamie's story. I only have 8 pages written so far, and I definitely need a lot more than that done before I'll even think about posting it...**

 **twilightlover427: Thanks so much!**

 **As always, thanks for reading!**


	7. Confessions

Cooking always seemed to soothe Lucas. He had taken it up once he moved to Norway to start coaching. Partly out of necessity - he needed to eat and takeout had long gotten old. But it was another way for him to in some way stay connected with Mara. She would come to his place most nights during the week to cook, making sure that he was eating right.

He set about to methodically chopping various vegetables allowing his mind to wander. Hugo sat at the kitchen table reading the latest Prophet. He sighed and looked up at Lucas.

"You are sure that there is nothing between you and the rookie?" he asked. Lucas looked over his shoulder at him.

"I told you… the article is pure bullshit," he said before turning back to chopping. "Just some desperate reporter reaching for any story."

"I saw the way you looked at her at the ball," he said. Lucas shook his head.

"Doesn't mean anything," he said. "She caught everyone's attention that night." Hugo sighed again, looking back at the article. The photo of the two - Daisy sitting on the front of Lucas' broom - it didn't look exactly like nothing from his point of view. Lucas had an arm around her waist protectively, while he steered the broom with the other.

"You look cozy," he said, reading through the article.

"She fell off her broom trying something new and I caught her," Lucas answered immediately. Hugo looked up at Lucas.

"Have you spoken to her about it?" he asked.

"Yes… I told her there were no romantic feelings on my part. She said the same," Lucas replied, still chopping.

"When was that?"

"Today when I ran into her at the gym," Lucas said.

"And when exactly did you start having romantic feelings for her?"

"At the ball."

Hugo blinked, slightly stunned. He didn't think Lucas would actually answer honestly. Lucas stopped chopping and looked up. He hadn't intended to answer. He turned around and leaned against the counter, crossing his arms in front of him. Hugo was smirking at him.

"So I see," Hugo replied. "You lied when you told her you had no feelings for her today?"

"Did I have a choice?" Lucas asked. "She's… way too young for me. Not to mention, her father would kill me."

"When did you realize this?" Hugo asked. Lucas sighed.

"After dinner that night at your place. All that talk about Daisy had me thinking later that night…"

"And what do you intend to do?" Hugo asked, sitting back in his chair.

"Nothing," Lucas said. "I'm her coach. It would be… inappropriate to act on my feelings. It's just a faint attraction anyway. Plus, I'm fairly certain she has feelings for someone else. Someone more her age."

"The beater?" Hugo asked. Lucas nodded.

"It's practically written on their faces," he said. "Why they haven't gotten together yet, I'll never know." Hugo chuckled.

"Says the man who is in love with his seeker," he replied. Lucas looked at him.

"I'm not in love with her," he replied.

"Sure you aren't… What would Mara say?"

* * *

 _Mara took a long drink from her pint and glanced over her shoulder, catching the young woman laughing with her friends at the bar that Lucas had been glancing at since they arrived. She looked back at her brother, grinning._

" _You like her," she said. Lucas stared at her._

" _She's very pretty," he said before smiling and taking a drink. Mara narrowed her eyes at him, settling her ice blue eyes on him in a calculating manner._

" _But there is something… otherwise you would have abandoned me a long time ago to go flirt," she said. Lucas shifted in his chair. "Can this be? The great Lucas Nilsson is nervous?"_

" _Shut up, Mara," he said. She started giggling._

" _Why are you nervous, dear brother? I thought you were a self-proclaimed Casanova," she said, grinning._

" _Apparently my reputation has preceded me," he said, glancing at the woman. "She refuses to go out with me." Mara shook her head slowly._

" _I told you that would catch up to you some day," she said, her blue eyes alight with mischief._

" _You said I would run out of beautiful women in Stockholm to date," he retorted._

" _And haven't you?" she asked._

" _Not yet," he said, looking back at the woman._

" _Beside the fact that she has been made aware of your player ways, what makes her so different?" Mara asked, flagging down the server and ordering two more pints._

" _She doesn't put up with games," he said._

" _She doesn't fall for your bullshit, then? I already like her," Mara replied. "She play quidditch?"_

" _Yes… chaser," he responded. Mara started laughing again as Lucas stared at her in confusion. "What?"_

" _I just find it funny… since it's the first woman you've had to actually 'chase,'" she said, giggling. Lucas rolled his eyes at his sister and laughed softly._

" _You think you're so smart, huh?" he said._

" _I was always the smartest one out of the three of us," she said._

" _Careful, Erik will take that personally if he hears," Lucas said. Mara chuckled._

" _Just because he went to law school, he thinks he's the best," she said. "You and I will be on the Nordic team for the World Cup and then what will he say?"_

" _He'll probably ask for free tickets," Lucas quipped._

" _And then he'll have to concede that we're the best," Mara said, grinning._

" _Mara, you will always win in a contest against me and Erik…"_

* * *

Lucas sat as his desk, going through plays. It was getting late and he should head home, but he wanted to finish up this last bit before he went. Otherwise he'd never get to sleep with plays rolling around in his head. A soft knock at the door knocked him out of his reverie. Lucas looked up, noticing Daisy standing there, hesitating. He sat up.

"Wood… what can I do for you?" he asked. Lucas thought all the players left hours ago, so he was confused to see her still there. She was in workout clothes with her hair pulled up, telling him she had hit the gym. She stepped in and sat down across from him, fidgeting slightly.

"Well… I was wondering if I could talk to you about something," she started, glancing up at him. Lucas nodded, encouraging her to continue. Daisy took a deep breath and looked down at the floor. "I think… well, I know, actually… that I… that there's… well… it's a bit complicated…"

"Daisy, just spit it out," Lucas said, smiling slightly. He had never seen the seeker this flustered before. He wasn't quite sure how to take it. She took a deep breath again, as if bolstering her resolve. She then sat up straight and looked Lucas in the eye.

"I've developed feelings for someone on the team," she said bluntly. Lucas sat silent a few moments. Here it was. She was going to ask for permission to date Kingfisher.

"Okay… are you asking if I mind you dating a teammate?" Lucas asked slowly. Daisy frowned slightly.

"Well… I guess I just… I've dated a teammate before and when it ended, it had a disastrous effect on the team," she said.

"Daisy, we're all professionals here. I doubt it would affect the team. If you, if you want to pursue a relationship with Kingfisher, it's fine," he said, even though it oddly pained him to do so. Daisy looked at him, perplexed, her face turning pink.

"It's not Kingfisher," she said quietly. It was Lucas' turn to be confused.

"Oh… I assumed… who is it?" he asked, trying to think if he had noticed anything between Daisy and the other players. Her hair started turning purple as she stared at him a moment.

"It's… well… it's you," she said softly. Lucas sat in stunned silence, unable to say anything. "I… I know that it's a bit unorthodox. I mean, you are my coach. It would be, well, a scandal for one. But since that article came out - no, it's been since before that, actually - I just… I can't get you out of my head," she said, attempting to regain her confidence.

Lucas sat back in his chair, crossing his arms in front of him as a million thoughts whirled through his head. Part of him was elated - she had feelings for him too. The other part flew through all the things wrong with this situation. He was her coach. She was 18. Her father would murder him. The press would rip them apart. How could they make a relationship work when he was her coach?

"Coach?" Daisy said, peering at him with a worried look on her face. Lucas looked up at her.

"Lucas," he said.

"What?"

"Call me Lucas," he said softly. Daisy nodded.

"Lucas?" she said. A shiver ran down his spine as soon as the word left her lips. He didn't realize until that moment how badly he had wanted to hear her say his first name. It felt oddly intimate. "Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry." Daisy quickly stood and turned towards the door.

"No, Daisy, don't go," Lucas said, finally willing himself to say more. She stopped and turned to face him, but didn't sit. Lucas stood and walked around the desk, standing in front of her. "I… you took me by surprise, to be honest… I'm not sure how I should respond."

"No… it's fine. It's just some silly little crush. You don't have to be kind," Daisy said, shaking her head. "Just forget I said anything." She moved to walk out again, but Lucas grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"I don't think I can," he said softly. Daisy looked at his hand, gently grasping her upper arm and then up into his eyes. She seemed to be holding her breath. "I've… well, I've found myself developing feeling for you too." The two of them stood a few moments, just looking into each other's eyes and neither really knowing what to say. Lucas swore he could hear Mara cackling somewhere in the thereafter.

"You have feelings - romantic feelings - for me as well?" she said quietly. Lucas nodded. He let go of her arm and slowly reached up to her face, gently caressing her cheek. Daisy leaned into and closed her eyes slightly as her hair started turning pink. She then looked up at him. Lucas took a step closer to her, feeling as though his body was moving of its own accord. His other hand found its way to her head until he was cupping her face in his hands. He leaned down slowly, his ice blue eyes locked with her bright green eyes. He stopped just as his lips hovered over hers, his last bit of resolve trying to hold out, screaming that he shouldn't be doing this. Daisy sensed his hesitation and stood up on her toes, closing the distance and bringing her lips to his.

It was as though fireworks were exploding all through his body and he moved his lips against hers. They were soft - much softer than he had imagined. Daisy closed the distance between them even more, placing her hands on his chest.

He took a deep breath through his nose and decided that what was done, is done, and deepened the kiss. He moved his hands down to her waist, pulling her forward until she was flush against his chest. Daisy reacted by wrapping her arms around his neck, a small sigh escaping her lips.

Lucas stopped and moved back, staring down at Daisy. He couldn't believe how tiny she felt in his arms.

"This is crazy," he said. "I'm your coach." Daisy smiled up at him.

"We'll make it work," she said. He laughed softly.

"If only it were that easy," he said, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. Daisy frowned slightly.

"It doesn't have to be that complicated," she said softly. "It's just you and me. Whatever anyone else says or thinks, they can just go fuck themselves." Lucas laughed at her bluntness.

"For starters, I'm pretty sure your father will kill me," he said.

"I'm an adult. My dad has no say in my personal life," she replied.

"And the team dynamic…"

"You're a fair coach. I doubt you'll play favorites."

"But what about the press?" he asked. Daisy was silent on that one. She thought a moment.

"Well, I suppose we'll have to give Evil Shortbrush that one…," she finally admitted. Lucas laughed and Daisy smiled up at him. She pulled him back down and kissed him with wild abandon. Lucas' mind froze as all he could seem to think about was Daisy and the feel of her fingers running through his hair. He gripped her waist and easily lifted her so that she was sitting on the edge of his desk. Daisy pulled him closer to her, wrapping her legs around him. Lucas pulled back, breathing heavily.

"Daisy… I think we should.. This shouldn't go any further at the moment… what if someone walks in?" he said. Daisy grinned wickedly and pulled her wand out of her pocket, waving it towards the door.

"Taken care of," she said, before pulling his lips back down to hers.

* * *

Lucas shot up in bed, breathing heavily. He looked around his dark bedroom until his eyes fell on the alarm clock that read 3 a.m. He rubbed his face, trying to will himself to fully wake up. The dream had felt so real. And that was a problem. He shouldn't be having inappropriate dreams about his seeker.

Lying back down, Lucas stared up at the ceiling as the dream played out in his head again. Damn Hugo and his talk in the kitchen. Having steamy dreams about his seeker was definitely not helping the situation. He was supposed to be pushing her out of his mind…

Lucas didn't know how he was going to face Daisy in practice on Monday. Not after that. But he was going to have to try.

* * *

 **I felt a little bad for teasing you guys with that dream sequence, but it'll make sense once I get to posting Daisy's story. It was something I came up with about halfway through writing this one, based off some stuff I wrote in that one. But I hope you all enjoy it regardless.**

 **homerunhitter: I know, I know, I know. I told you I was a big fan of Nilsson. While I'm happy with Daisy and John, I still kind of have hope for Nilsson... Haha, I hope you're happy. ^_^**

 **As always, thanks for reading!**


	8. Distractions

Lucas sat at his desk staring at the pages of plays scattered across it, rubbing his forehead. Something was off with Daisy today. She wasn't playing anywhere close to her best and she had taken more bludger hits than he had ever seen her take in one outing - practice or match. She wasn't focused and this concerned him. Not so much because of what it meant for team's chances in the next match, but more so what it meant for her safety. He knew all too well what the slightest distraction meant in the heat of a game.

His dreams were still haunted by that match at the World Cup.

Thankfully once he hit the pitch that morning, he was able to put aside whatever it was he had been feeling for the seeker and focus on his job. Being her coach. And at that moment, he knew he needed to go have a few words with his seeker. As a coach.

Lucas pushed up from his desk and made his way to the locker room, his irritation starting to pick up more as he thought through various scenarios that could play out in a match when the seeker isn't paying attention. They varied from the devastating to the mild. But none of them were particularly heartwarming. He would be damned if Daisy's career ended before it got started just because she couldn't focus enough to stay safe. So many of the plays and her tricks required total and complete concentration. What's more, she knew this.

The other players had long gone when he entered the locker room, but he could hear the showers still going in the women's shower room. He stepped up to the doorway and shouted at her to hurry up and get out. Stepping into the middle of the room, he began pacing before he finally sat down. He was still stuck between wanting to yell at her for being so distracted and wanting to find out why she was so distracted.

Several minutes later, Daisy stepped out fully dressed and slightly dejected looking. He had finally settled on completely reaming her out, but one look at her face and he could see that this was something else. Her usually bright green eyes were a dull gray.

As he spoke with her, he sensed that she didn't want to tell him the full story, though she alluded to something happening, which immediately made him think it was about the beater. He knew he had attended her cousin's wedding with her. Did he reject her? Lucas found that unlikely. Kingfisher's feelings for Daisy were written all over his face. And he hadn't been able to take his eyes off of her all during training. Perhaps she had rejected him. Or wanted to.

Whatever it was, Daisy didn't seem willing to divulge the details.

"Whatever it is… you can't lose your focus on the pitch," he said. "Losing your focus can mean the difference between a win and a loss, and it's how people get hurt in this game, seriously hurt. I'll let today slide, but I want you to come back with your head in the game." She nodded.

"Yes, coach," she said before turning to her bag. Nilsson took a deep breath and studied her a moment before stepping out and heading back to his office. Something about the way she looked didn't set right with him.

He wanted nothing more than to push her to talk about it, find out what was really bothering the rookie. See if there was anything he could do to fix it. But he knew she was stubborn and if she didn't want to talk about it with him, she wouldn't. Not to mention, it wasn't any of his business, to be honest. He wasn't her older brother or anything else. He was her coach.

After about an hour of trying to go over plays, he decided to call it quits and head home.

Once home, even cooking didn't seem to distract him. After dinner, he put his dirty dishes in the sink and took a mug of tea to the living room where he sat and spread the latest Prophet out in front of him, going through the day's news, though his mind kept wandering back to practice. He remembered that Kingfisher's eyes kept searching for the seeker, a pained expression on his face for most of the day.

Lucas sighed, shaking his head slightly. It was probably something to do with Kingfisher. Whatever it was, he hoped those two figured it out soon. Even though he felt his chest constrict slightly at the thought.

* * *

" _Have you gotten anywhere with Julia?" Mara asked casually as she studied a head of lettuce before placing it in the grocery cart._

" _She still won't go on a date with me," Lucas admitted, looking around the store. He hated grocery shopping, but Mara always made him go with her so he could carry most of the bags home. She preferred the muggle market not far from his apartment, professing they had fresher produce._

" _Hmm… that is interesting," she said, glancing up at her brother._

" _How are things with the keeper?" Lucas asked as they walked farther down the produce aisle. Two could play this game. Mara's cheeks flushed slightly._

" _None of your business," she snapped. Lucas smiled and leaned on the cart, slowly pushing it next to her._

" _Ah… so there is something with the keeper?" he asked, smiling._

" _Again… none of your business," Mara said, now studying a tomato intently. Lucas sighed._

" _Fine… don't tell me," he said, watching her with a smirk. She scowled slightly and tossed a bunch of tomatoes into a plastic bag and then into the cart, turning to look for broccoli. He would get it out of her eventually, but even he knew how stubborn Mara was. She would hold out as long as possible just to aggravate him._

 _They continue on in silence, Mara slowly choosing various vegetables and tossing them into the cart while Lucas followed silently, pretending to be bored. After they had moved to a different aisle, Mara sighed and glared at him._

" _Fine… he told me that he doesn't see me as anything more than just a friend," she said with a huff._

" _See… was that so bad?" Lucas asked, smiling slightly. She shot him another glare before looking at the shelves for whatever it is she needed._

" _Glad to see my love life entertains you, Luke," she said. Lucas reached out and grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop and look at him._

" _Do I need to go beat him up?" he asked somewhat seriously. Mara rolled her eyes._

" _No," she said. "That's not why I told you." Lucas pulled her into a hug._

" _He's an idiot if he doesn't see how amazing you are," he said softly. Mara eventually wrapped her arms around her older brother and smiled._

" _Thanks," she said softly._

" _I give him two weeks before he realizes what a huge mistake he's making," Lucas said as Mara let go and returned to perusing the shelves._

" _What makes you say that?" she asked._

" _Once he sees you at the spring party," Lucas said. "He'll know immediately that he was wrong," he said. Mara rolled her eyes._

" _Not all problems can be solved with makeup and a pretty dress," she said. "Sometimes there's just no spark. You can't force that… it's either there or it's not."_

" _How would you know?" Lucas asked, studying his younger sister._

" _I am an adult now, you know," she said, smiling back at him. "I know things…"_

" _You haven't had your first love and not told me, have you?" Lucas asked, his eyes wide. Mara shook her head._

" _Please, Lucas, you act like it's such a big deal," she said, continuing to shop._

" _But it is! Your first love… that's a huge milestone! Why didn't you tell me!" he exclaimed, slightly overdramatically._

" _Because I haven't had my first love yet… but I assure you, you'll be one of the first to know when it does happen," Mara said, laughing slightly at her older brother's antics. "Just… stop making such a scene. We are in the supermarket, after all."_

" _What? Like this? WHY MARA!? WHY WOULDN'T YOU TELL ME?!" he wailed dramatically, throwing himself onto the grocery cart._

" _Lucas," Mara hissed, stepping farther away from him as she glanced around. Lucas looked up at her, grinning as her face starting turning pink. "You're impossible."_

" _I'm your older brother… I'm supposed to embarrass you in public settings. It's my job."_

* * *

 **Okay, now I can say that I've *officially* finished writing this story. The last three chapters were giving me trouble. I didn't like the tone I had inadvertently set, and well... seemed like I had made Nilsson too dependent on/obsessed with Daisy, and really didn't want that. Plus I realized he was still too much a hermit and I wanted there to be more growth for him by the end of the season. And yea, a lot of it just seem stiff or forced. I wanted it to flow more naturally. And I didn't want it all to end up being a complete rehashing of everything that happened in _Life & Times_. Thought that could get boring, so starting in the next chapter, outside of the flashbacks, there will be new interactions with other characters.**

 **So I ended up re-writing most of the last three chapters. But I'm much happier with them and where Nilsson ends up.**

 **Now I can fully focus on Jamie's story, which I haven't touched in a few days, despite the fact I have most of that one planned out. I think it was because I was still wrestling with some details on this one, but now that I have no distractions, I'm hoping to get enough work done that there won't be too much of a gap between this one and that one.**

 **Homerunhitter: Just wait until I finally get around to posting Daisy's sequel. Granted I have a feeling I'm going to end up changing a lot of that - depending on how things turn out with the four stories/books/whatever you want to call them that I have to write before that turn out. Part of me is almost regretting the decision to post them in chronological order... and setting Daisy's 4-5 years later... But that bit I can't really change...**

 **As always, thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	9. Anger Issues

Lucas sat staring at the newspaper article. He slammed his fist against the desk. The reporter had gone too far this time. After speaking with Daisy, Kingfisher and Kelly, he was completely incensed. To fabricate an attack that messed with her career - that was taking it too far.

But he knew he needed to calm down before he left to go to the meeting with the rookie's family. It wouldn't do if he showed up ready to punch something, though he was sure he wouldn't be the only one tempted to do so. Knowing her brothers and father, he was sure that there would be something broken at some point during the evening.

"Nilsson?" someone said from his open office door. Nilsson looked up, seeing Weathers, the Falcons' coach standing there. He quickly stood.

"Please come in," he said, motioning toward the chairs that sat on the other side of his desk. The older coach walked in and took a seat, glancing at the open newspaper on the desk.

"I'm not surprised to hear from you," he said. "I meant to contact you earlier - preferably before any word got out to the press - but it was a bit hectic this weekend." He shook his head. "I know he's in hospital, but that git has half a brain sometimes… talking to a reporter before we've even figured anything out…"

"How is Hardwick?" Nilsson asked, keeping himself from scowling. He had no doubt the seeker got exactly what he deserved, but it wouldn't do to let that show in front of Weathers. The older coach sighed and shook his head.

"Disoriented. He doesn't remember much about the attack… just that there were a few people… Said the last thing he really remembers is the altercation at the party," he said, looking up at Nilsson. "Did you speak to your players?" Lucas nodded.

"Wood swears that she, her brothers and Kingfisher never left the apartment. Kelly said he left around 4 or 5 a.m. with his girlfriend and they went straight to his home," Nilsson said. "The rookie… she may be fiery, but sneaking up on someone with her brothers and teammates… that doesn't sound like her." Weathers nodded slowly.

"To be honest… when he mentioned he thought it could have been them, I didn't think it sounded like them either. The Woods usually get their revenge on the field… even their father was like that back when he played. And they are usually fair," the older coach said.

"Daisy knows not to push things too far," Lucas added. "Don't get me wrong - she'll take it right to the edge - but even she knows when to back off." Weathers chuckled.

"I don't envy you… If I had my choice of the Woods, I'd take Jamie any day. Even Remus and Alan are a bit more manageable. But Daisy…" he shook his head, "she's a handful. She has her mother's fire and her father's obsession." Lucas smiled slightly.

"She is a bit of a handful, but it's not that difficult," he said. "You just have to… give her some leeway. She doesn't like being talked down to." He sighed and glanced down at the newspaper. "So… are you going to file for an inquiry?"

"I haven't decided… I need to think on it, look at more of the evidence," he said. "Whatever happened, my seeker is out for a couple games. That's serious." Lucas nodded.

"I can provide you with names of witnesses if you need to speak with them. And most of my team was there if you would like to come to our practice tomorrow to get their stories," he offered.

"Appreciate it," Weathers said. He stood, Lucas following suit. "I'll come by in the morning." Lucas nodded as the older coach left his office. He sighed and sat back down in his chair, looking over the article. At least it seemed as though one part of the problem would be resolved. Lucas was convinced that if he had Weathers speak to enough people, he wouldn't file the inquiry request.

"Did you get things worked out with Weathers?" Hugo asked as he walked into the office. Lucas looked up at him, not completely surprised to see his best friend there. Of course he would come by to check on him after he saw the article.

"Possibly," he said with a sigh. "I don't think he'll file the inquiry."

"Then why do you still look upset?" Hugo asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm fine," Lucas responded automatically. Hugo stared at him.

"This wouldn't have to do with the fact that Wood and Kingfisher are officially an item, would it?" he asked. Lucas looked down at the papers on the desk, wondering exactly how he had found out.

"No."

"Of course it does," Hugo replied, a hint of a smile on his face. Lucas looked up at him.

"How many times must I tell you… it's nothing more than a passing infatuation. I admire her. She's very pretty, but it's nothing more," Lucas said.

"But yet… you still feel upset about it," Hugo said, accurately reading his friend.

"What I feel doesn't matter. I'm her coach. Stop encouraging this… this… reckless behavior," Lucas said sternly. "What are you even doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be home with your wife and baby?"

"Just thought I would stop by to see how you were coping. With the allegations, that is…," Hugo said as he stood. "But I suppose I'll head home to my wife and child." He started walking towards the door, but then stopped before walking out.

"Oh, and try not to take it too hard on the beater," he said, smiling. Lucas looked up at him, frowning.

"Why would I do that? It would be a grave abuse of power," he said seriously. Hugo chuckled.

"Some days I miss the old Lucas who could take a joke," he said as he walked out.

* * *

 _Lucas laughed as he, Mara and Hugo sat in his living room, drinks in hand. It had become tradition since his first year in the League that the three would get together the day after Christmas. Sometimes his older brother would come by, but now that he was married and starting his own family, Erik didn't have much time for their shenanigans._

" _Please tell me that his face turned that brilliant shade of red," Hugo said in between laughs. Mara grinned and nodded._

" _It was amazing! I've always wanted to see someone really throw a drink in someone's face," she said. Lucas chuckled softly from where he sat on the sofa next to Hugo. "And the fact that it was my brother just made it better."_

" _I knew that one of these days your philandering ways would get you either slapped or a drink to the face," Hugo said, looking at his friend._

" _Can it really be considered philandering when I'm not not officially dating any of the women involved?" Lucas asked before taking a sip of his drink._

" _You were dating both of them, Lucas," Mara said, still giggling. "It's philandering." She looked at Hugo. "His face got red, but then he just… picked up a napkin, wiped his face and then did a little bow and walked away as though he were the King of Sweden." Hugo looked at Lucas and shook his head._

" _Still so cool, even when getting a drink thrown at him," he said._

" _And… I still got another phone number by the end of the night," Lucas said, waggling his eyebrows._

" _Only you would," Mara said, rolling her eyes._

" _Now that is just not fair," Hugo said, his brow furrowed._

" _What are you talking about? You and Elizabeth have been dating two years now! He should be thinking you're lucky," Mara said._

" _No… I think I'm lucky to not be tied down to the same woman for two years," Lucas shot back._

" _Well… soon enough it'll be forever… we decided that we're getting married next year," Hugo said. Lucas and Mara stared at him a few moments, eyes wide._

" _Congratulations! That's such good news!" Mara shouted, launching herself from the loveseat and over into the keeper's arms. Hugo laughed at her exuberance and glanced over at his best friend._

" _Don't look so happy," he quipped. Lucas shook his head and smiled._

" _Congratulations," he said as Mara settled back on the loveseat. "Though I suppose this means I'll see you even less." Hugo shrugged._

" _You hardly see me as it is now that I'm Ireland," he said, glancing Lucas. "Though you would see me more if you transferred leagues…"_

" _Don't you even dare, Hugo Larssen. I will not have my brother abandon me to go play quidditch in Britain. Not until there are teams that will take both of us," Mara said. Hugo laughed. "I'm serious! You both can't leave me here to languish in Stockholm alone!"_

" _You still have Erik," Lucas said. Mara glared at him._

" _I know you may be some hot-shot keeper, but you will not leave me alone in the Scandinavian League. Besides, we both know I'll be more famous than you some day," she said, smirking._

" _She may be right there, Lucas," Hugo said. "She's got some solid stats for her first season."_

" _You are impossible, Mara," Lucas said with a grin. "Alright, I promise not to move without you." Mara grinned in triumph from her perch._

" _Good."_

* * *

Lucas was locking up his office for the night when he heard grunts and yells coming from the direction of the gym. Curious, he walked towards it as the noises got louder. It was after 9 p.m. and he wasn't sure who in their right mind would be working out this late.

He stepped into the open doorway and saw Daisy in a shorts and a sports bra, viciously attacking one of the punching bags. If looks could kill, the bag would have been obliterated long ago. She just landed a long fast combo before screaming in frustration and falling to her knees, glaring at the bag as red curls that had fallen from her bun and pins stuck to her sweaty face and neck.

"What did the punching bag do to you?" Lucas asked from the doorway, surprising himself by offering a joke. Daisy looked over at him, breathing heavily, though surprised.

"I'm sorry, Coach. I thought everyone had gone. Didn't mean to disturb you," she said, standing and unwrapping her hands. "I just wanted to get some extra strength training in." Lucas nodded.

"Wouldn't have anything to do with a certain reporter, would it?" he asked, leaning against the door frame. Daisy glanced at him, taking a deep breath.

"Maybe," she said, scowling at the ground.

"I assure you, Daisy, we're going to get to the bottom of this," he said, pushing off the door frame and walking into the gym.

"Yea, but getting her fired doesn't tell me why she's doing this," she said tersely.

"Maybe jealousy? People have done worse over jealousy," he offered, sitting on a bench near her.

"She's a vicious git," she said, throwing the wraps into her gym bag with a bit more strength than necessary. "It's just… Teddy's out investigating her. Lucy's talking to her folks at Witch Weekly and the Prophet. Even Harry and Uncle Percy have found things to do to be helpful. And what do I get to do? Just sit and fucking wait," she said, turning and kicked the bag again, causing it to swing.

"I don't think there is really much you can do in this situation," Lucas said.

"I'm a metamorphmagus! I can go out and stakeout Hardwick with Teddy! Or sneak into the Prophet's office. Or… there are things I can do but no one will let me do them," Daisy say forcefully.

"I don't think any of that is a good idea, Daisy. What if she catches you?"

"Then I can finally ask her face-to-face why she hates me. Why she wants to destroy me!" Daisy declared. Lucas watched his seeker as she started kicking the bag again. He could almost feel the anger pulsating off her. Her eyes kept flashing red as her bun was bright orange and her face was scrunched up into a scowl. She started kicking too hard and howled in pain when she rolled her ankle, falling to the ground. Lucas jumped up and ran to her, gently taking her foot into his large hands.

"This is why you should be careful when you're angry," he said, gingerly pulling her shoe and sock off. Daisy grimaced, but kept quiet, not wanting to admit that he was right. Lucas gently felt around, making sure she didn't break or fracture anything. Small noises of pain squeaked out of Daisy as she tried to keep a straight face. Lucas looked up at her, noting she was attempting to blink back tears.

"If you're in pain, it's okay to show it, Daisy," he said softly. Daisy took a deep shuddery breath and nodded as tears slipped down her cheeks.

"I didn't break it, did I?" she asked. Lucas turned his attention back to the foot.

"Doesn't appear so. I think you just twisted your ankle. I'll wrap it, but take some pain tonic and muscle repair tonic when you get home," he ordered as he waved his wand and summoned the large first aid kit they kept in the gym.

"I got it," she said.

"We should work on your anger management," Lucas said. Daisy huffed.

"I'm fine," she said. Lucas looked up at her, a hint of concern in his eyes.

"Just be careful. I know all too well how consuming anger can be… if you aren't careful it can destroy you," he said softly. Daisy was about to bark out a retort when she saw his eyes. She instead just watched as Lucas deftly wrapped her ankle up and sent the kit back. He stood and reached down, pulling Daisy up.

"I'll help you home," he said. He waited until she was balanced on her one good foot and then stepped over to quickly grab his bag and throw it over his shoulder. He then walked over and picked up Daisy's, making sure to toss her shoe and sock in. He swung in over his shoulder as well and stepped over to Daisy.

"Coach, I can get home fine by myself," she said.

"No, you need to stay off that foot. Especially if you want to be in the air tomorrow," he said sternly. Without a word he pulled his wand out of his pocket then quickly picked Daisy up in his arms. She was taken aback and quickly wrapped her arms around his neck to steady herself.

Lucas then apparated them to the landing outside the flat. He looked at Daisy, who pulled her wand out and tapped a pattern into it. They heard a door unlock and Daisy turned the knob and pushed it open. Lucas walked it and looked down at Daisy.

"Where do you want to go?" he asked.

"Sofa," she said. Lucas nodded and walked down the corridor into the living room. Remus was at the stove, cooking. He looked up, surprised to see Daisy being carried in by her coach.

"Is everything alright?" he asked, rushing around the island.

"I'm fine. Just twisted my ankle," Daisy shouted. Lucas sat her down and looked at Remus.

"Just needs to ice it and she should be fine in the morning," he said. Remus nodded. "I'll take my leave then." He then sat her bag down and turned and walked out of the apartment.

"Want to talk about it?" Remus asked. Daisy glowered and shook her head.

"No."

* * *

 _Lucas limped into the bar and sat on a stool heavily. He had already been drinking at his apartment, but he felt the need to get out. The bartender looked over at him, raising his eyebrows. He had been frequenting this place for a couple weeks, mostly sitting off to himself at the end of the bar, not talking to anyone for a few hours until stumbling his way back to the wizarding quarter._

" _Double Jameson, neat, please," he said. The bartender nodded and put a glass in front of him, filling it with a bottle he pulled from under the bar. He then wandered down to the other end of the bar, though keeping his eyes on Lucas. The tall former keeper was trying to keep to his best behavior. He had been kicked out of all the bars in the wizarding quarter and from the few muggle bars near his apartment. He had promised Hugo he would try and keep his anger in check and avoid more fights._

 _Lucas took a drink and stared down at the wood counter. It had been a few months since the accident. His leg still ached constantly. The healers said that it would eventually go away if he stuck with the physical therapy routine - in fact they marveled at how quickly he was able to walk on it again. He made it in a few times, but thought it was ridiculous. Nothing would let him fly again, so what was the point? He had only progressed as far as he had because he knew he'd never be able to stomach the looks of pity if he walked around with a cane._

 _Loud laughter sounded from behind him. Lucas glanced over his shoulder, noting the table of about four men. They seemed to be out celebrating something. A few of them were glancing over at a group of beautiful women standing by the bar. Some of them glanced at the men, smiling and looking away. One met Lucas' eyes for a moment, studying him thoughtfully. Lucas looked away, not wanting to attract attention. Since the accident and Mara's death, he hadn't felt like he did before. Old Lucas would have sauntered up to her and had her number in a matter of minutes, most likely leaving with her on his arm shortly after._

 _New Lucas didn't really give a shit about anything other than numbing the pain._

 _He sat, studying the bottles of liquor decorating the shelves behind the bar, casually listening to the various conversations going on around him. Surprisingly, he found it comforting. More comforting than his empty, silent apartment. He could sit here for hours, slowly growing number and number._

" _Would you stop! I said I wasn't interested!" Lucas heard from behind him, drawing him out of his reverie. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing the group of women had joined the men. The pretty one who had looked at him was trying to push away one of the men._

" _Come on! It's my birthday!" the man said, grinning. He was already pretty drunk. The woman continued to push and try to disentangle herself from his arms as he attempted to kiss her cheek._

" _I don't care! Let go of me!" she shouted while the men laughed._

" _Let her go," her friends started saying as they all moved to help. Lucas watched through slightly bleary eyes._

" _Would you all relax!"_

" _I think she said to let her go," Lucas found himself saying calmly. He had stood and walked over to the table, easily towering over all the men. His quiet demeanor and intense stare seemed to intimidate the other men, who started to back up a bit._

" _Hal, just… let her go," one of them said, glancing over to their friend. Hal looked up at Lucas and laughed, seemingly too drunk to have any common sense._

" _Who the fuck are you?" he asked. "This doesn't concern you, so just go back to you're little bar stool and leave us alone." Lucas clenched his fist, feeling the anger starting to churn inside. He let it swim through his veins and wrap around him, like an worn blanket._

 _Of course, he could hear Hugo warning him at the back of his mind - stop getting into fights._

" _I would appreciate it if you would let her go," he said quietly, still attempting - at least a little bit - to keep in check. He could see the bartender moving towards them cautiously._

" _Maybe you should stay out of it!" the man shouted, starting to get worked up himself. The woman glared at him and attempted to yank her arm from him again._

" _Let go of me, asshole!" she said. The man turned to look at her._

" _You know you want me," he said, smiling slightly, tightening his grip on her arm._

" _You're hurting me!"_

 _Lucas took a deep breath and closed his eyes a moment. When he opened them, all he saw was red. Before anyone could register what was going on, he punched the man and watched as he stumbled back, finally letting go of the woman as he reached up to stem the blood pouring from his nose._

" _The fuck?!"_

 _The woman smiled at Lucas gratefully as she and her friends quickly moved out of the way. Lucas looked at the man's friends, who all were backing away from the table. Lucas took a deep breath and turned to walk back to his stool at the bar. One of the man's friends started to pull Hal out of the bar while another went to pay and another walked up to Lucas._

" _I'm sorry about that," he said, fidgeting slightly when Lucas turned to look at him. "He was in a car accident several months ago and hasn't been the same since. Been drinking too much.." Lucas inhaled sharply._

" _A car accident? When?" he asked as his heart started pounding. The man looked confused._

" _April… he fell asleep at the wheel after working late one night… hit a woman-"_

 _Immediately, Lucas launched himself off the stool and marched outside. One of the friends was trying to help clean up the blood while the other was chastising the man. Lucas walked over, shoved the friends aside and picked up the man by his collar._

" _It was you," he bellowed. "You killed her!"_

" _What are you talking about?" he shouted, struggling against Lucas' death grip._

" _Don't play stupid. You hit her with your car and you killed her and then you just drove off like nothing happened! Leaving her dead in the street!" Lucas shouted._

" _I didn't kill anyone!" the man shouted back. Lucas started throwing punches as the man's friends attempted to stop him. But he was a man possessed._

" _You killed her! You killed Mara!" he kept shouting over and over._

 _It took all of the man's friends, plus the two police officers they had called, to pull Lucas off him. Even then, he nearly broke free to pounce on the man a few times. He was a bloody mess on the sidewalk, groaning in pain._

 _The officers managed to cuff Lucas and were dragging him to their car._

" _He didn't kill anyone!" one of the friends shouted, stepping up to Lucas. "He broke her leg and put her in the hospital a couple weeks. Get some help, man."_

 _Lucas stopped struggling, looking at the injured man, confused. He was so sure it was him this time. The fight left him as one of the officers started reciting his rights. He was in a daze when he heard footsteps hurriedly running up from behind him._

" _Lucas!" He turned, seeing Hugo. He looked as though he had dressed quickly. "The bartender called me… Christ, Lucas. When are you going to stop this?"_

* * *

 **A bit more of the darker side of Lucas... Nilsson really has had to battle some demons. But thankfully he comes out on the other side.**

 **Homerunhitter: Well... you're going to really cry with the next chapter, then... It was probably the hardest thing to write, considering I started crying myself and had to stop a few times. And Lucas does get there eventually. _**

 **twilightlover427: I know, it was a tough choice for me to make while I was writing _Life & Times_. But I didn't want to completely write off the possibility of Daisy and Nilsson. Though definitely not right now. Trust me, though, Lucas will find happiness.**

 **Guest: I've always been conflicted as well. As much as I liked the idea of Lucas and Daisy, it just didn't seem right. At least not now. Especially with where Lucas and Daisy are at in their lives. Maybe possibly in the future, but not now. I mean, I love Remus and Tonks as a couple - and that was a 13-year difference - but they met when Tonks was in her mid-20s, which is a bit different. Daisy's still got a bit of life to figure out. And as for Julia... her story is not yet finished. But that's all I'll say for now. ^_^**

 **As always, thank you everyone for reading and reviewing!**


	10. Remembering Mara

**Thought it best to put the author's note at the beginning of this chapter...**

 **This was quite possibly one of the hardest things I've had to write - definitely the hardest for this story - but I knew that it would need to be written as it is a big part of Lucas' story.**

 **The reason why this was so hard to write is because it hits so incredibly close to home. A year ago today, I lost my little brother. He was in a car accident and died after three long, difficult weeks in a coma. He was only 20 and several years younger than me (I'm the oldest of 4). Writing this chapter took me back, even though I initially wrote it a few weeks ago and only did some minor touch ups between then and now. I had to stop a few times. Didn't help that I tend to put on specific playlists for whatever I'm writing to help set the mood and get into the frame of mind I need to be in to best portray whatever it is I'm writing. For this one it was a pretty heartbreaking song called "Unsteady" by X Ambassadors and then "Change It All" by Harrison Storm. Listen to it while reading if you want, but be forewarned, you may end up ugly crying like I was a few times.**

 **No, this is not exactly what happened to him, but I can definitely say that I did draw on personal experience in writing how Lucas has coped, reacted and changed as a person. Hey, write what you know and all...**

 **Anyway, I just wanted to give folks a fair warning. This may be a difficult chapter to read, especially for those who struggle with dealing with loss.**

* * *

April always was a tough month for Lucas. Especially the second week. Hugo had urged him to take it off and let the assistant coaches run things, but with matches every week and the end of the season approaching, it wasn't really feasible.

Even if it was for that.

So after the Arrows had finished their match against the Pride, he had begged out of the after party despite their win and gone home. It was the one night out of the year that he was seriously tempted to drink. And he didn't trust himself alone. Which is why Hugo showed up shortly after he got there. Lucas was already standing in front of the fireplace, looking up at the photo of Mara that hung over the mantle.

"Good match today," Hugo said walking into the living room. Lucas nodded still staring at the photo. "She would be proud of you, you know." Lucas sighed.

"Perhaps," he said.

"She would. In less than two years, you went from assistant coach to having your own team. And now that team is just a few wins from making the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. More than that, you got yourself sober... put your life back together," Hugo said.

"I would trade it all to have her back," Lucas said.

"I know you would…"

Lucas closed his eyes as the memories came rushing back. He couldn't stop himself. Not tonight.

* * *

 _Lucas sat on the sofa in his living room, numb. He breathed heavily as he stared at the floor in front of him, a half empty glass in his hand._

 _She was gone. This couldn't be real. It had to be some sort of bad dream. He would wake up and she would come running into the apartment, yelling at him about something._

 _But... it wasn't a dream. He had seen so with his own eyes._

 _No more would he hear her bright laughter or her silly jokes. No more would she force feed him when he was sick or warn him of being a player. As soon as he got word of the accident, he immediately apparated to the hospital in Stockholm from the Nordic team compound in Copenhagen. Hugo had been with him at the time and said he would tell the coach what had happened before meeting him later at his apartment._

 _He had run through the halls until he saw his mother collapsed in his father's arms, sobbing. He looked up at his older brother Erik, who was leaning against the wall, a dull look in his blue eyes. His own father was staring at the floor, still in shock. Lucas looked at the closed door and started walking towards it._

" _Don't Lucas…" Erik said softly. "That's not her... That's not our Mara... She's gone." Lucas looked at him and shook his head. He needed to see her. He wouldn't believe that she was truly gone until he did. He walked to the door and pushed it open. The room was quiet. On the bed lay a still figure covered in a sheet. He slowly stepped over to it, breathing heavily. He could hear his blood pounding through his head. He stood at the bedside a few moments, willing himself to pull the sheet down as the tears streaked down his face. Slowly, he reached up and grabbed the end of it, slowly pulling it down until it reached her shoulders._

 _She was still, her eyes closed as though she were asleep. But her pale skin was covered in cuts and bruises - her blonde hair matted with blood. Lucas took a deep breath. A sob broke loose._

" _Mara," he gasped._

" _ **It was a car accident… she had been out with her friends in the non-magical part of Stockholm… the police think the driver was drunk… he had been swerving... They didn't see it coming... she was… it happened on impact… they say there was no pain… they are still looking for him..."**_

" _No… no…" he murmured. He looked down at her. The spark was gone and a deep void filled him. Just this morning she had sent him an owl saying she and their father planned to come to the first World Cup match he played in. She couldn't be gone. It wasn't fair. He was the older brother… he should be the one to go first. And only when they were all old and gray - dozens of grandchildren among the three of them. Not his little sister who had everything ahead of her. A strangled sob escaped his lips. Lucas felt like he couldn't breath. All he wanted to do was shout and throw things._

 _But he had to keep it together. His family was just outside. He didn't want them to see him like this. He had to stay strong for them. Lucas took a deep breath, then bent down and gently kissed her forehead._

" _Goodbye, Mara," he whispered. He then covered her up and turned, walking back into the hallway. He looked at his parents and brother again. His mother looked up at him, leaving her husband's arms and grabbing onto Lucas._

" _Not my little girl. Not my baby girl," she murmured over and over. Lucas held his mother, his own tears still coursing down his cheeks. He met his brother's eyes._

" _We'll need to make arrangements," Erik said softly._

" _She's been dead an hour and you're already thinking about arrangements," Lucas said._

" _We… I'll take care of it," he said, stepping away and walking down the hall, running his hands through his hair. Lucas' mother looked up at him._

" _Oh, my sweet son," she said. She then collapsed into his arms again, sobbing._

 _He had been able to get away and made his way back to his apartment, knowing he wouldn't be able to hold it together much longer. It felt dead and empty without her presence. Mara didn't officially live with him, but she was there enough that she might as well have. He had poured a glass of vodka and sat on the sofa, not bothering to turn the lights on._

" _Lucas!" Hugo said, walking in. Lucas looked at his friend, his face calm but his eyes silently conveying the storm of emotions running through him. Hugo waved his wand and the apartment filled with light._

" _She's gone," Lucas said. He looked back at the floor. "She's… gone." Hugo walked over and sat on the loveseat._

" _What happened?" he asked softly._

" _Car accident… hit and run… they think the driver was drunk," he said flatly._

" _Lucas… I'm so sorry," Hugo said._

" _How… how could it be her? It shouldn't be her," Lucas murmured. He looked up at Hugo. He stood and threw his glass to the floor, letting it shatter as he let out a primitive yell. He ran his hands through his hair. "IT SHOULDN'T BE HER!" he shouted._

 _Hugo watched as his friend began pacing._

" _She had everything… everything ahead of her!" Lucas shouted. "She was… she was going to be someone… she was… she could have been the top seeker… the World Cup… she…" he broke down into sobs and collapsed on the sofa, burying his head in his hands. "She was too young… and I wasn't there…"_

" _Lucas… there's nothing you could have done," Hugo said softly. "It was a freak accident." Lucas looked up at him, his eyes wild._

" _I could have done something!" he shouted. "If I had been there… I could have…" His sobs overtook him again. "This is not how it was supposed to go… She can't be gone..."_

* * *

 _A week later, Lucas stood next to his brother and parents in the small country church where they arranged to have the funeral. It was near a cabin the family owned. While growing up, they would spend the summers there. It was one of Mara's favorite places and therefore made sense that she would be buried there. Lucas stood in his black suit staring at the coffin at the front of the church that was covered in white lilies. It was his turn to lay flowers on the casket and he slowly stepped out into the aisle, grasping the bouquet of yellow and orange tulips. They would stand out against the more traditional white flowers, but he had insisted. They were Mara's favorite._

 _He slowly made his way up to the coffin, glancing over to the side where a large photo of Mara stood on an easel. She was standing with her broom in her team uniform. It had been taken just after she made the Stockholm Wolverines. The wind blew through her long, white blonde hair as she laughed and grinned. A single tear trekked down his cheek as he looked at the coffin. He took a deep breath and placed the bouquet on top. He closed his eyes, almost hearing her laugh. Bowing his head slightly, his shoulders started to shake from the silent sobs wracking his body._

 _His little sister was lying in that coffin covered in beautiful flowers, in her quidditch uniform. His strong, courageous little sister would never wake up again. It wasn't fair. He took a deep breath, composing himself and then stepped back, opening his eyes. He turned and walked back to his place, barely registering what was being said. He should have been paying attention because he was supposed to speak. It wasn't until his mother nudged him that he realized it was his turn. He stood and walked to the podium, pulling out a piece of parchment and unfolding it. He took a deep breath, looking over at the coffin and then back at the paper in front of him._

 _"Mara Ingrid Nilsson was born March 5, 2000," he said. He glanced up and looked around the church, seeing the faces of her teammates and friends. His teammates. Her schoolmates. Even Lief Hagen was seated next to the rest of her old house team, a morose look on his face. Mara would be laughing at that. "She left this world on April 15, 2018..." He took a deep breath, the words he had written becoming blurred as tears filled his eyes._

 _"Mara was... one of a kind. She was headstrong, stubborn and could hex like no one else," he said, crumpling the paper up as soft laughter teetered throughout the church. "She... wanted nothing more than to play quidditch for the Wolverines and to play at the World Cup. She accomplished one of those things, and... I've no doubt that had she been given more time, she would have accomplished the other."_

 _"She was a good friend. A strong quidditch player. My little sister... she would force feed me tea when I got sick and send howlers to my coach whenever he let me practice with a cold or the flu. She was... amazing... in every way. And I know that I won't be the only one who misses her bright presence," Lucas said. He looked over at the coffin again._

 _"The world will not be the same without her... Sometimes, I wonder just how anyone of us are... supposed to move on without her... but... she wouldn't want us to wallow," he said. He looked to the crowd. "She would want us to remember her... but to live life as she did. To the fullest. With no regrets. Even if some days that may seem impossible. She will be missed and nothing can replace her... But we have to try. For Mara." Lucas looked down and put the parchment in his pocket then stepped away from the podium._

 _Lucas, his brother and a few of Mara's teammates stepped up and picked up the coffin, careful not to disturb the many flowers lain on top. They walked through the silent church, carrying it out to the graveyard where she would be laid to rest. The many people inside the church followed - many crying softly. They placed it on the spot that had been cleared out the day before and stepped back._

 _Lucas didn't register anything that was said at the graveside. It wasn't until he was finished and people came up to hug his family that he even realized that the service was over._

 _He heard the various murmurs of people speaking to his parents and brother. He didn't say anything or even attempt to listen, instead staring at the coffin._

 _She was gone. And nothing would bring her back._

* * *

Lucas took a deep breath as Hugo returned to the living room, two mugs of tea in hand. He handed one to Lucas and sat next to him on the sofa.

"You really should start some new tradition to honor her. This is depressing," he said. "Sitting here all night staring at her photo."

"You don't have to be here," Lucas said, taking a sip. Hugo chuckled.

"Mara would slap you and you know it," Hugo said. "She had too much energy and light. She would be offended that you spend the anniversary this way." Lucas took a deep breath and nodded, a slight smile on his face.

"She would," he said finally. "She'd want a party or something to celebrate her... not all of us moping around. Perhaps I should set off fireworks." Hugo chuckled.

"Oh, she would like that tremendously," he said. "Luckily for you, I brought some." He stood and walked over to his bag, pulling out several packages with 'W' on them. "That Weasley… he knows what he's doing when it comes to fireworks."

"When did you get those?" Lucas asked, standing.

"Right after the game. To be honest, I was walking by the store and went in on a bit of a whim," he said. "I wasn't sure what drove me to go in, but when I saw the display, I knew I had to get them." Lucas smiled.

"Let's go out back," he said, putting the mug on the table. The two men moved to the back garden and spread the various fireworks on the table, studying them.

"Which should we try first?" Lucas asked. He picked one up, unsure of what it did.

"I don't know… I got all sorts," Hugo responded. "One of the Weasleys said you just need to hit them with a stunning spell."

"Older or younger one?" Lucas asked. Hugo shrugged.

"I don't know, they all look the same to me," he replied. Lucas nodded before walking over a safe distance away and set the firework up, then walked back to Hugo. He pulled his wand out and aimed it.

"Stupefy," he said. The spell shot over and landed on the firework, causing it to explode in a cacophony of color and noise. Lucas stepped back, his eyes going wide. The firework shot straight up into the air, whizzing around the night sky. Lucas found himself smiling as it zoomed this way and that. Hugo walked over and set up another, then walked back and shot a stunning spell at it.

A giant wolverine exploded into the sky and began chasing the previous one. The two men grinned, watching the show.

"She would love this," Lucas said as tears pricked at his eyes.

"She would…" Hugo replied, walking over to set up more fireworks. Soon there were several zooming around the sky over the back garden.

"I miss her… every day," Lucas said. "It… gets easier to manage, but I still wish she were here."

"All you can do is continue to move forward," Hugo said, glancing at his friend. Lucas nodded. "Maybe it's time to consider dating again…" Lucas scoffed.

"I'm not sure if I'm ready for that," he said, still watching the sky.

"Seriously, Lucas… it won't do to continue to pine for the little pixie. And it's been years now…" Hugo said. Lucas chuckled.

"I'm not the ladies man I used to be," he said, glancing at his friend.

"I'm not saying you should go back to that… just consider trying to date someone. I could set you up," Hugo replied. Lucas sighed.

"I'll think about it. For now, let's just enjoy the show."

* * *

 **twilightlover427: Yep, he does. But I think showing where he started helps show how far he's come since then... Makes the last four chapters a bit happier...**


	11. Pixie Takes Flight

"Are you sure, Coach?" Daisy asked, not quite believing what he was saying. She had only made the suggestion that she mess with Hardwick as a joke. She didn't think that he would agree. She looked up at him from where she stood on the pitch.

The stoic man nodded, a hint of a smile on his face as he glanced down at her from watching the chasers go through their formations.

"You said he tried to get in your head much the same way in the previous game. Why not turn the tables?" he said. "I don't think it's such a bad idea."

Daisy grinned, a twinkle appearing in her eye.

"This'll be fun," she said.

"It's only half the strategy, rookie," Lucas reminded her. "I need you flying in top form. You'll need to maneuver in and out of plays easily. That way Hardwick can't follow you." Daisy nodded, a serious look coming across her young face. She looked out to the pitch, watching as Kelly, Cunningham and Wright passed the quaffle at lightning speed, moving in and out of each other.

"I've been studying the new plays and if we do much like we have the last few matches, it shouldn't be too difficult," she said. "Kingfisher and Campbell have been taking their speed up as well so I should be covered."

Lucas nodded, watching the two beaters as they hit the bludgers back and forth at the end of the pitch.

"I don't doubt that they will," he said. "Just promise you won't get distracted." Daisy looked up at Nilsson and grinned.

"I won't," she promised. "I've got a bit of score to settle with dear Hardwick." Lucas nodded.

"Get up in the air, rookie," he said. Daisy nodded, taking off at a jog and then hopping on her broom and flying up in the air. Lucas watched as she soared up and joined the beaters who had stopped passing the bludgers and were all sitting, waiting for Kelly to call out a play. Lucas stepped toward the team, keeping his eyes on the young seeker, her long ponytail swinging behind her. He could hear her laughing at something Campbell said from his position on the pitch.

He closed his eyes for a moment, breathing deeply as his mind took him back.

* * *

" _Again!" Lucas shouted, sitting on his broom and watching as Mara sped down the pitch and back. She had just got a new broom and they were on the pitch at the Lynxes stadium, breaking it in. She flew back towards him, a large, bright grin spread across her face._

" _Seriously, this thing is amazing!" she shouted, coming to a stop. "Corners like a dream!" Lucas chuckled as he watched her take off and do a loop and a few rolls. Her cheeks were flushed as she pulled back up to him. "You think the scouts will notice me?" Lucas laughed._

" _Honestly I don't see how they could keep their eyes off you," he said. Mara beamed._

" _And once I'm signed, I'll shove it in that prick Lief Hagen's face. Show him that women can play quidditch just as well as men," she said, her face becoming downright frightening in her determination._

" _Who are you considering?" he asked._

" _Wolverines, obviously…" she said. "But honestly, I'll consider whoever will take me. Wouldn't mind the Kites."_

" _What… no Gothenburg?" he asked._

" _Why would I want to share a team with you?" she said, rolling her eyes. "Bad enough I have to deal with you coaching me…" Lucas laughed loudly._

" _You should be so lucky to have me," he said. "When you get signed right after you graduate, you'll be thanking me." Mara grinned at him._

" _Maybe… but I can still beat you in a race," she said._

" _You're on," Lucas said. Mara shot off down the pitch, Lucas quickly catching up. At first he was planning to let her win, but when she leaned forward and pulled ahead, he narrowed his eyes and sped up._

 _He wasn't about to let his little sister beat him for real. He'd never live it down._

 _Mara laughed after they came to a stop after rounding the hoops._

 _"Losing your edge, old man?" she asked._

 _"I let you win," Lucas replied. Mara rolled her eyes._

 _"Sure you did," she said._

 _"Why do you try a few of the maneuvers I've been teaching you," he said, looking out over the pitch. He didn't want to admit that she had actually beaten him for real and thought aerobatics would distract her enough to let it go._

 _"Sure. But I'm telling Hugo when we meet him later all about how I finally beat you," she said before taking off._

 _She was never going to let him live this one down._

* * *

"Are you sure about that strategy? Sounds like a good way to get her killed," Hugo said as he sat in the back garden with Lucas. The tall blonde man took a sip of his tea and nodded.

"It's a risk, but if it works, it'll pay off," he replied. "And I think if anyone can get into his head, it's Daisy." Hugo chuckled.

"It's ambitious. Much like those plays you've had them pulling off," Hugo said, the admiration evident in his voice. "I think you were born to coach." Lucas shrugged.

"Never thought I'd actually enjoy it as much as I do. Almost prefer it to playing," he said. Hugo chuckled.

"Now that is something I thought I'd never hear you say. Preferring coaching to playing? Who are you and what have you done with Lucas Nilsson? Hot shot keeper and ladies' man extraordinaire?"

"He died four years ago," Lucas said. Hugo went quiet.

"But… coaching has been good for you. Just this year alone, I can see great changes," he said softly. "It's good to see you start to come around." Lucas glanced at his friend.

"I suppose I should start being more social," he said with a sigh. Hugo chuckled.

"I've been trying to get you to be more social all season. Taken you to all those parties and such…"

"You can lead a horse to water…" Lucas joked. Hugo looked at him and then laughed again.

"That's a good sign… going to lighten up now, are you?" he said. Lucas shrugged again.

"Perhaps… Though I've gotten the reputation of a serious, stoic coach. I'm not sure I'm ready to completely destroy that," he said.

"You can still be stoic and serious on the field, but have some fun off," Hugo said. "Look at Wood. It's like he's got a split personality sometimes."

"I'd rather not be like Wood," Lucas said, blanching slightly. "He's a bit too…"

"Volatile?"

"Involved," Lucas said.

"He's not that bad. Quite fun when you get him away from the pitch... and talking about something other than quidditch," Hugo said. Lucas chuckled.

"I cannot imagine him being fun," he said.

"Elizabeth and I have spent some time with him and his wife at some of the quidditch events. Delightful couple. Elizabeth wanted to have them round to the house, though I was sure Lottie would kill me… conversing with the enemy and all," Hugo said. "Besides, where do you think the triplets get it from?" Lucas chuckled.

"I thought it was from their uncle, to be honest. Now he seems to always have a good time," Lucas said.

"You should have seen Oliver when he was playing. Never the ladies' man like yourself - he's been with Iris since before the League started up again after the war - but he had that same cocky attitude that you did," Hugo said.

"You only played one season before he retired," Lucas said, rolling his eyes.

"And he was still good then. Even if he was nearly 40. Nothing like Hastings," Hugo responded. "That family… quidditch genes of gold. Jamie is likely to be one of the top keepers. Remus and Alan… deadly beaters. And now the last, Daisy… Get them all on one team and they'd be unstoppable. Shame they couldn't have had three more to round out the team." Lucas chuckled.

"Apparently that's what Oliver wanted. There was a bet going on in their family that they'd have enough to field a quidditch team," Lucas said, remember what Iris had said at the picnic all those months ago. "George lost a lot of money on it." Hugo laughed.

"I'm not surprised. People like to talk about them. They seem a lively bunch. Even I wouldn't mind being adopted by them," he said. He looked over at Lucas. "Perhaps you should. Maybe they'll get you to relax more. Have fun." Lucas shook his head slowly.

"Too famous for me," he commented. Hugo chuckled.

"There was a time when you would have been attracted by that," Hugo said.

"True enough. But not so anymore," Lucas replied. Hugo took a deep breath.

"But… you are still drawn to the family…," he said. Lucas looked at him.

"No. Don't go there, Hugo," he said. Hugo sighed.

"Very well…"

The two sat in silence, the easy mood slightly broken by Hugo attempting to veer the conversation back to Lucas' feelings towards the rookie. Seemed he was unwilling to talk about it. Hugo could understand, but at the same time felt he needed to talk about it. Ignoring it didn't seem to be helpful.

But he knew that Lucas was stubborn. If he didn't want to talk, he wouldn't. If anything, he probably thought not talking about it would make them go away. Easier to pretend it was just a phase rather than acknowledge them. Hugo looked over at his best friend, who was sitting silent, looking out across the garden. His face unreadable. Hugo just hoped whatever it was, it didn't hinder his progress. Lucas was finally starting to come alive again and he didn't want to see him retreat back into his shell because of a broken heart.

* * *

 **And now moving on to happier chapters. I promise the next three will be much happier for Nilsson than the last one...**


	12. Trying New Things

Lucas stood watching as the rookie zipped across the field in pursuit of the snitch, diving in and out of the chasers and carefully avoiding the bludgers, a small smile playing across his face. He knew he made the right choice by signing her - even if the contract had cost a bit more than management was comfortable with. As he expected, throughout the season she had more than proven that she was worth the investment and management was singing Lucas' praises - especially now that the playoffs were coming up and Daisy was by far the favorite for rookie of the year.

"Watch it Pix!" Kingfisher shouted as Daisy whipped passed him, tugging on his jersey in the process and nearly pulling him off his broom. She was grinning as she looked back at him and the beater laughed.

"Quit horsing around!" Lucas shouted, though even he couldn't help but smile at the seeker's shenanigans. They were all hyped up with their first playoff round coming up. "Alright! Let's call it a day!"

The team quickly landed, coming to stand in a semi-circle around Lucas.

"You've got the next three days off before the match. I want all of you to rest and make sure you're in your best shape for Tuesday," Lucas said, turning serious. "You've done great in practice the last two weeks. Let's keep up the momentum and show the Wanderers that the Arrows won't go quietly." The team started grinning as they glanced around at each other. "Hit the showers. I'll see you bright and early on Tuesday."

They started walking to the locker room, Kingfisher swinging his arm around Daisy's shoulder as soon as they cleared the hoops.

"Kingfisher, Wood! What did I say about keeping it off the field?" Lucas shouted, watching the two. Daisy turned to look at him, flashing a grin.

"Technically, we're off the pitch, Coach!" she shouted as Kingfisher smiled down at her and the rest of the team laughed. Lucas found himself chuckling softly and shaking his head. She turned back around, swinging her free arm around the beater's waist.

"Pix, any word on the World Cup roster yet?" Kelly shouted at her, turning to walk backwards.

"You know that they won't announce it for another couple weeks," she said.

"Still think Fraser'll beat you out for first string?" Campbell asked. Daisy shrugged.

"I'm at least good for second string," she said. "Not bad for my first season."

Lucas sighed as he slowly started following them into the tunnel that led to the locker rooms and his office. His mind wandered back, thinking back to his own World Cup days. It seemed only yesterday.

* * *

" _Would you quit with the damn waiting and just open it!" Mara shouted as she stared down at her brother where he sat on the couch, staring at the official looking envelope in his hand. Lucas looked up at her, grinning._

" _You'd think you're the one looking to make the team," he said. Mara huffed._

" _We both know I'll be on the next one," she said rolling her eyes. "Just open it! The anticipation is killing me!" Lucas laughed as he ripped it open and pulled out the parchment. He skimmed through it and stood, walking towards the kitchen without saying a word._

" _What does it say?" Mara asked. "Don't tell me they didn't put you on the early roster! You helped the damn team qualify!" She watched as Lucas disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a bottle of whisky and two glasses. "Oh Merlin… whisky… they didn't put you on the team? What the hell?!" She stomped her foot as he sat them down on the coffee table and poured two portions._

" _Relax, Mara," he said._

" _No! It's bullshit! You're easily the best keeper in the league! Whoever got the spot robbed you!" she shouted as she began pacing. Lucas chuckled and handed her the glass._

" _Apparently I'm the one doing the robbing," he said. Mara stopped pacing and looked at him, her blue eyes widening._

" _Wait… you got it? You're on the first string for the World Cup?" she asked breathlessly. Lucas shrugged and smiled._

" _At least I finally beat Hugo at something," he said. Mara squealed and launched herself into her brother's arms._

" _I knew they would choose you!" she shouted. Lucas laughed, attempting not to lose their drinks._

" _The whisky, Mara. This was expensive and I won't let you spill it everywhere," he said. Mara let got and stepped back, taking one of the glasses._

" _You're evil. How could you let me believe that you didn't make it!" she said, though she was grinning._

" _I said nothing. Not my fault if you jumped to your own conclusions," he said with a shrug. Mara punched him in the arm._

" _When do you start training?" she asked._

" _Doing a training camp for a week or so in April," Lucas said. "And Hugo is second string."_

" _He won't be happy," Mara replied. Lucas smiled._

" _I think the score is about even now…"_

 _Mara held her glass out._

" _To the best keeper in the Scandinavian League. I'm sure after the World Cup, the best teams in the world will start owling," she said. Lucas clinked his glass against hers._

" _To the new up-and-coming seeker… I give it another year before the best teams in the world start owling you," he said before taking a drink._

" _I did have a good coach," she said, winking before she took a drink._

" _I am pretty good… you weren't easy to work with," he replied._

" _Shut up, Lucas. I have tons of raw talent. You're lucky I let you work with me," she retorted. Lucas chuckled._

" _Right, Mara…"_

* * *

Lucas settled in the booth at the muggle pub and glanced around, taking in the loud boisterous crowd. He hadn't spent much time in a bar or any establishment serving alcohol in a very long time. At first, it was to avoid the temptation to drink. Then it just became habit.

Whatever possessed him to agree to going with Kelly and Hugo there that night was beyond him, though he suspected it had something to do with the fact that his quiet haven of a home was starting to get a little boring. It was a gentle shift that he had barely noticed over the months, but more and more he was starting to feel like he wanted to be around others. So when Kelly stopped by his office after practice and asked if he wanted to go to a nearby sports pub and catch a baseball game with him, he surprised himself by agreeing and asking if Hugo could join them.

"I didn't take you for a baseball fan," Hugo said, looking at Kelly. The Irishman smiled and shrugged.

"My Ma's side is muggle. They moved to America when I was young so spent a lot of summers visiting them. Baseball is the big summer sport there and I picked up a shining for it," he replied. "I'm curious as to how Coach here got into it. Thought you were pureblood."

Lucas shrugged as he looked over the menu.

"The magical and non-magical worlds are a bit more integrated in Sweden," he said nonchalantly.

"You mean… they know about us?" Kelly asked, lowering his voice a bit. Lucas and Hugo laughed loudly.

"No, but we've adopted a lot of the non-magical world into our own," Hugo said. "The wizarding community in Stockholm is quite small so many of us live outside of it."

"And that includes an appreciation for non-magical sports," Lucas added. "Granted hockey is the reigning sport in Sweden." Kelly nodded and then flagged down a waitress. They all put in their orders, with Kelly and Hugo sharing a pitcher of beer while Lucas opted for soda. He hadn't really shared that he was a recovering alcoholic with his team, but thankfully Kelly showed a bit of tact and didn't say anything when he calmly said he didn't drink. At times Lucas almost forgot that he was only two years older than the captain with their positions within the Arrows creating a sort of invisible hierarchy. Honestly, old Lucas probably would have been going out for drinks with the entire team when he first started. But he supposed it was still a good thing that new Lucas was finally making an attempt at creating new friends. Even if it was his own team.

"So, how are things with Lucy?" Hugo asked, looking at the chaser. Immediately a goofy grin spread across Kelly's face.

"Grand," he said. "We've been talking about getting married, though she wants to wait a few years. Says her father will likely skin me alive if I propose too soon." Hugo laughed and shook his head.

"I do remember him being not too thrilled at the ball," Lucas said.

"The rest of the family's come around. Her mother loves me and I get on well with her older sister. But yet… Mr. Weasley - as I'm to call him - doesn't seem quite ready to let go of Lucy," he said with a sigh. "She's already asked me to spend Christmas with them in the hopes it'll help her dad warm up to me." Lucas' eyebrows shot up as he imagined holidays with the Weasleys, Potters and Woods.

"That should be an experience," he said.

"You're tellin' me. Kingfisher said it's its own kind of organized chaos," Kelly replied.

"I didn't know Kingfisher spent the holidays with them," Hugo said, glancing at Lucas, who frowned slightly at him, silently warning him from venturing down that line of thought. He could tell he was dying to make some joke about Lucas and the Woods.

"Yea, Mrs. Wood invited him when she found out he wasn't going back to the U.S. Seems the whole family likes to adopt strays," Kelly said. He looked over at a T.V. "Ah, good. Seems the game is about to start."

Hugo looked at Lucas, giving him an amused look. Lucas just rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the game.

After about 30 minutes, all three men were wrapped up in the baseball game and working their way through the food. Hugo and Kelly had managed to down half the pitcher. Kelly loudly protested every call from the umpire he thought unfair, while Lucas intently watched the game, occasionally making comments here and there. Hugo seemed to be spending more time studying his friend than the game.

"I knew this would happen. They went and traded their starting pitcher not realizing just how big an asset he is," Kelly said as a commercial came on. Lucas sighed and shook his head.

"He was a strong hitter too," he added.

"Definitely not making the postseason this year," Kelly grumbled. "Seriously don't know what they were thinking."

"How you feeling about the upcoming match against the Wanderers?" Hugo asked, looked from coach to captain. Kelly shrugged and glanced over at the TV.

"It won't be easy, but I think we've prepared as much as we can. Just hope Daisy can keep up her streak and beat Wiggins to the snitch," he said. "Coach here has us pulling out some pretty wicked plays."

"It seems to be becoming your signature style, Lucas," Hugo said before shoving a chip in his mouth.

"How do you come up with those plays?" Kelly asked, looking at his coach. "I've always wondered. Most coaches just let their seekers wander wherever, but this is the first time I've seen a coach use them as the focal point of plays."

"It's something I came up with a long time ago. I got the idea from a recruiting trip - saw a school team pull off something similar - and decided I wanted to further develop it. Was just waiting for the right team to pull them off," Lucas said.

"Ah, so that's why you handpicked Daisy Wood," Kelly said, studying Lucas who just shrugged.

"She's the only seeker small, light and fast enough to make them work," he said casually. Kelly nodded.

"Well they are brilliant," he said. "I feel like the Cup is within our grasp."

"You'll have to go through us to get there," Hugo said, smiling.

"We've beat you before," Kelly said, his light green eyes twinkling. Hugo laughed and held his glass out.

"May the best team win."

* * *

 **Man, I'm loving Coming-Out-of-His-Shell Nilsson. So much fun to write...**

 **And I'm managing to get a fair bit written on Jamie's story, so hopefully there won't be too much down time between when this one finishes and I start posting that one. There are two more chapters left to post with Nilsson's - only one more not so fun flashback but I'm trying to keep the rest of it light. I've got 18 chapters planned out for Jamie so far (there will be more) and the first two finished with a little bit written on a couple others. I'm going to try and stick to my usual process of not posting until I have about half or a little more written so there's no lag in posting chapters, but we'll see. At the moment I'm just trying to get it down on paper, then I'll go back and refine it.**

 **And I've got Dominique's story planned out and am getting excited to start on that one. I may attempt to write concurrently, since there's not a lot of of overlap between her story and Jamie's. But we'll see!**

 **As always, thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	13. Dark Histories & Bright Futures

Lucas hurried down the sidewalk, easily maneuvering through the crowd thanks to his height. Granted he still managed to miss Iris Wood until he had passed her and she called out to him.

"Lucas," she said. He stopped and turned around, facing the short, red-haired woman. She grinned as she stepped up to him. "How are you?" He smiled down at her, noting how much her daughter favored her. Though there was something sharper about Iris' face than Daisy's.

"Good. Just getting some errands done before playoff week," he said.

"Ah, yes. Daisy and the boys have been raiding my potion collection quite a lot lately. Daisy said you've been pushing them a lot in practice," she replied with a smile. "The whole flat is in chaos with the four of them in the postseason."

"I imagine it is," he said. With all four occupants busy the last two weeks with training, they were all probably enjoying some much needed rest at the moment.

"Would you care to join me for some coffee? I won't take much of your time. I know you're busy. But I thought maybe we could discuss the Lila issue," she said. Lucas nodded.

"Of course," he said, smiling slightly. Seemed he would never escape the Wood family. He followed Iris down the sidewalk to a small cafe that was surprisingly quiet despite being on the main drag of Diagon Alley.

"One of my favorites," Iris said as they sat at a table. "Never seems to be too busy." She looked up at the server and ordered a latte for herself and then looked at Lucas who ordered a black coffee.

"Have there been any developments?" Lucas asked once the woman left. Iris sighed and propped her chin on her hand.

"She's been fired, of that we know for sure. But still not much known for sure about her motives - though we were able to determine that she is indeed the daughter of Marcus Flint," she admitted. "It's rather frustrating… especially if this is all because of something Oliver and I did." Her brow was furrowed as she frowned slightly.

"Is Teddy still looking into her?" he asked. Iris nodded, looking up at the coach.

"It's been rather slow. He had to take on a new assignment and hasn't been able to devote as much time to it, since it's technically off-the-books. Harry's been helping when he can, but he's got less time than Teddy, running the department and all," she replied. "At least we got Daisy to stop sleuthing on her own."

"I'm surprised she hadn't attempted to do more. I know how frustrated she's been with just waiting," he said. Iris sighed and sat up.

"She is headstrong. Always has been… in school whenever her father told her to stop doing tricks, it would just egg her on to do something even more dangerous in the air," she said. Lucas found himself smiling a bit.

"I remember watching her in the final the triplets' last year at Hogwarts. Seemed Oliver had some words for her after she leaped off her broom," he said. Iris smiled, thinking back fondly on the memory.

"That wasn't the only time that year she did it. Granted the first time, she missed her broom and nearly fell to the pitch if it weren't for her teammate swooping in to catch her," Iris said.

"I take it that's when she decided to incorporate that into the maneuver?" Lucas asked. Iris nodded.

"Jamie's suggestion… She gets it from me. I've pretty much always done whatever it is I've set my mind to... She wants answers from this Lila, and I've no doubt that she won't stop until she gets them," Iris said resignedly. "And she's an adult now, so there's not much any of us can do to stop her."

"I just hope she doesn't get herself into trouble because of it," Lucas said, slightly concerned for the rookie.

"In the past, she's always managed to stop herself from going too far, granted it still scared the daylights out of us. But with this... I worry as well. Thankfully she's got the playoffs to focus on. Hopefully that will keep her preoccupied until Teddy can find something substantial," Iris said. Lucas nodded.

"Miraculously, none of this has affected her on the pitch," he said. "She has pretty amazing resolve and focus. Being distracted during a match… well, it's not particularly a good thing." Iris nodded, studying Lucas.

"I suppose you would know more than others," she said softly. Lucas looked over at her. "Daisy told me about your sister… I suspect that was more than just a distraction."

"I honestly should have excused myself from the team. But I wanted to play at the World Cup and I thought that it was what she would have wanted… After she passed away, the only thing keeping me together was quidditch, but even that didn't seem to be enough," he said.

"What happened?"

* * *

" _Are you sure, Lucas?" Hugo asked. "No one will blame you if you want to sit out. That's why we have a second string." Lucas glanced at his friend as he packed his uniform into his bag at the hotel where the Nordic team was staying for the World Cup. "It's only been four months…"_

" _I'm fine," Lucas said tersely. He thought if he said it enough that it would be true. He did for the most part believe it. But yet, the most random thing could set him off. Sometimes he swore he saw Mara in the crowd. He hadn't told his coach about it, only admitting it to Hugo after he found him struggling to breath in the locker room after practice one day._

" _You had another moment in practice yesterday-"_

" _I'm fine!" Lucas bellowed as he slung his bag over his shoulder. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get to the pitch. Match against Scotland starts in a few hours."_

 _Hugo watched as he walked out of the room, shaking his head._

" _Please just don't get yourself killed," he murmured._

* * *

 _Lucas smiled tightly and waved as he flew out onto the pitch with the rest of the Nordic team. Playing quidditch was one of the few things that gave him any inclination of joy lately. While his coach, family and Hugo had encouraged him to take a few months off, he dove headfirst into training for the World Cup. He had finally made the team and he wasn't about to let go of his chance. Besides, he knew Mara would smack him if he sat this out because of her._

 _So there he was, doing a warm-up lap around the pitch with the rest of the team. He glanced over at the Scottish team flying across from them in their blue and white uniforms. They were a young team, though he supposed that had more to do with the fact that their star keeper - Oliver Wood - had retired from playing at the end of the 2014/15 season and was now the coach for his old team Puddlemere United. He had been the oldest player on the team during the last World Cup._

 _If he remembered anything from the coach's strategy sessions, it wouldn't be an easy match, but they could beat them._

 _He pulled up in front of the goals and waited, tightening his gloves as he watched the referee stand with the ball case on the big screen. As Scotland was a potential favorite, they were in the larger stadium located in a rice paddy in rural central China. The main stadium for the final was still being finished in the mountains just outside Beijing. If they won this match, they would make it to the semis and from there, the finals._

 _Lucas gripped his broom when the balls were released, his entire body tense as he watched the action. Scotland was good, but the Nordic team had spent a long time preparing and were already finding holes to sneak in through to gain possession of the quaffle._

 _It took a good 20 minutes before Scotland got near the goals. Lucas shot over and easily knocked the quaffle away and into the arms of a Nordic chaser, who was waiting nearby. From there on, it was back and forth, with a couple close calls with the seekers. At one point, the Scottish seeker shot off after it, with the Nordic seeker tailing him. However, a bludger from the Nordic team had knocked the Scottish seeker off his broom and inadvertently into the Nordic seeker._

 _Then about three hours into the game, the Nordic seeker had located the snitch, but lost it when a Scottish chaser flew in front of him and knocked him off course._

 _Lucas felt alive for a moment. He was focused and collected. A smile came across his face as he zeroed in on the Scotland chasers passing the quaffle back and forth._

" _I'm going to make the World Cup team next," he heard faintly. Lucas shook his head and narrowed his eyes, following the chasers as they battled for control in the middle of the field. He would not allow anything to distract him._

 _The Scottish seeker flew passed him with the Nordic seeker not far behind. For a split second, he thought Mara was there, grinning as she streaked passed him. Lucas tipped to the right and nearly missed a Scottish chaser taking aim for the left hoop. He caught the quaffle and threw it to one of the Nordic chasers._

" _Get your head in the game, Nilsson!" the chaser yelled before flying off to the other end of the field. He nodded shortly and watched the match like a hawk. There was no way he would let anything get to him._

 _Another 30 minutes passed, with the action picking up. This was the closest Scotland had gotten to the finals in a long time and they were not going to go down without a fight._

 _Suddenly, his eyesight started to blur. He shook his head, trying harder to focus on the game. It couldn't be happening again. Mara flashed before his eyes, flying after the snitch. He blinked again, seeing the chasers working their way down to him. He started breathing heavier as his heart started pounding._

 _He blinked again. Seeing Mara walking down a dark sidewalk with her friends._

 _This couldn't be happening. This couldn't possibly be happening during the World Cup._

" _Lucas… you need to be focused on the match, idiot…"_

 _Lucas' grip on his broom slipped and he was back in the game. The chasers were almost upon him. His breaths were coming in raggedly._

" _LOOKS AS THOUGH SCOTLAND IS GOING IN FOR ANOTHER GOAL!"_

 _He saw Mara on the sidewalk again, laughing with her friends. From behind them, the headlights of a car swerving down the road. Lucas froze as his eyes widened._

" _Mara… watch out! MARA NO!" he shouted as he shot forward, trying to get her attention._

 _Suddenly, he was back in the game, flying straight at a Scottish chaser, who was looking at him oddly. He saw the opening and threw the quaffle. Lucas frantically reached out to stop it, but his momentum going forward was too fast to stop._

" _NILSSON! WATCH OUT!"_

 _He barely knocked the quaffle out of the way before he collided with the back end of the Scottish chaser's broom, causing him to flip off his. He watched in slow motion as the players became smaller above him as he dropped towards the pitch. Suddenly, he hit the ground with a loud crunch and so much pain that he nearly passed out immediately._

" _LUCAS!" the Nordic coach shouted as he landed on the pitch and ran up to him, the mediwizards not far behind. Lucas looked down, noticing immediately that his leg was bent at an unnatural angle and something was sticking through his uniform. He looked back up, focusing on the coach running towards him. He would probably be out for the semi - if they made it that far. It seemed the coach had called a timeout._

" _It's just a broken leg," Lucas said, breathing heavily and trying not to focus on the pain._

" _Lucas, your bone is sticking out," the coach said. Lucas tried not to glance down again, feeling sure it would make him queasy. "What the hell were you doing up there?!"_

" _Just… let them heal me and I… I can finish the match," Lucas said._

" _Lucas… that's the worst break I've ever seen. I don't know if you'll be able to play the rest of the World Cup," his coach said._

* * *

 _Lucas sat up in the bed, numbly staring into space._

 _He thought it was just a break. Sure it was a bit worse than normal, but he had dealt with his share of breaks. This was nothing new. Which is why he didn't understand when the healer said he would never be able to play quidditch again. He should be able to hit the pitch again in a few days._

" _Mr. Nilsson?" the healer said, grabbing his attention. Lucas looked at him._

" _How… how did this happen?" he asked. The healer sighed._

" _Mr. Nilsson, when the bone broke, not only did it shatter in several places, but it severed some nerves, arteries and muscle tissue. We were able to repair the arteries and some of the muscle damage. But the nerve damage… that's beyond our means - magical or otherwise," he said._

" _And because of that… I'll never play again?" he asked._

" _I'm so sorry, Mr. Nilsson. I just don't see how that will be possible with the nerve damage. You'll be lucky to walk again. Flying… I'm afraid that's just not an option," he said. "Are you sure there's no one I can contact for you?"_

 _Lucas shook his head no as he sighed and sat back in the bed. He would never play professional quidditch again. His sister was dead._

 _His life was over at age 27._

* * *

Lucas stood in the chaos that was the after party at the Woods' flat. Puddlemere had just beaten the Falcons and everyone was in the mood to celebrate. Even Lucas had to admit he was looking forward to being at the party after that match. It was invigorating to watch and got him excited about the next season with the Arrows. He had a few new things he wanted them to try.

So there he stood in the flat, surrounded by way too many people than he thought could fit in there. Daisy was talking to her various cousins. Harry Potter's son that just signed with the Falcons reserve team had come up and congratulated him on the strong season. Lucas himself had congratulated Jamie on the win.

He almost felt like he used to, chatting with some of the other players who had been at the match, and didn't seem to be in any rush to leave. Hugo would be proud. In fact, he was grinning as he started to walk over to Lucas from the other side of the room.

"Lucas? Is it really you?" a voice said from behind him. Lucas turned and froze slightly.

"Julia?" he said. The chaser grinned. "Wow… it's been…"

"A little over a year since you left us for the Arrows," she said. Lucas nodded. While he had been the assistant coach for the Kites for almost two years, he didn't interacted much with the team outside of training - including the beautiful chaser. He had taken his old coach's warning to sober up seriously and ended up shutting himself off from most social activities to avoid the temptation. "It's good to see you out. Looks like moving to Britain was good for you. You look… better."

Lucas smiled and looked to the floor, blushing slightly. He caught Hugo smiling out of the corner of his eye and stepping away.

"I suppose it has been. What brings you here?" he asked.

"I'm transferring to the Harpies next season," she said. "Caught the finals match and the other players dragged me here. Said the Woods were notorious for throwing the best after parties." Lucas nodded and took a drink of his ginger ale.

"That they are," he said, looking over to see Daisy standing with her brothers, laughing.

"You did amazing things with the Arrows this season. Especially that rookie," Julia said, following his look. "Apparently the Woods are quidditch royalty." Lucas laughed.

"To be honest, she came with talent - I didn't have to do much. And you wouldn't think that if you spent more time with them," he said. "Jamie's not bad, but Remus and Alan are pranksters."

"And Daisy?" Julia asked. Lucas looked down at her.

"Focused, but she's got her own mean streak," he admitted with a soft laugh. "How have you been?" Julia shrugged.

"Good. Just focused on playing for the most part. Trying to get over here to the British League. See just what all the fuss is. They got you and Larssen. Figured I could make it too," she said with a sigh.

"It's… it's good to see you. And nice to have some more people from home over here," Lucas said. Julia studied him a bit.

"I don't know about you, but it's a bit noisy," she said. Lucas nodded.

"The balcony is usually pretty quiet," he said.

"Lead the way," Julia said. They made their way through the crowd and finally made it outside and sat down at the table.

"This is nice," Julia said, looking over at Lucas. "Now that we're alone… how are you really? You had us all scared there for awhile." Lucas cleared his throat.

"I am better. That first several months after… after everything, it was a bit rough. But taking the coaching position definitely helped me turn things around," he said, looking up at her.

"I won't lie, I was a bit shocked to see you when you were working with us. It was a complete 180 from how you used to be," she said. "You were so… serious. And melancholy all the time." Lucas chuckled softly.

"And here I thought you would prefer the new Lucas to the old one. As I recall you rebuffed my advances more than once," he said. Julia rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Well, yea. Original Lucas was a pain in the ass - even if half the women in Stockholm couldn't resist you. But… dead Lucas was worse. This Lucas… I think I prefer this one," she said thoughtfully.

"And to think I use to be proud of my womanizing," Lucas said with a sigh and slight smile. Julia laughed.

"Thank Merlin you grew out of that…"

"Ah, there you are! Julia! Good to see you again!" Hugo said as he stepped out on the balcony.

"You as well, Hugo," she replied.

"I heard you signed with the Harpies. Congratulations," he said.

"A congratulations are in order for you. I heard you and Elizabeth had a little girl," she said. Hugo nodded.

"We did. Lucas comes over often. Thank goodness, too. He's the only one who can quiet her down," he said. Lucas blushed slightly as Julia looked at him, eyebrows raised.

"My, you are full of surprises," she said.

"I just came out to see if you two wanted to come with me. Elizabeth was hoping you'd stop by after the game. And I'll be honest, this party is getting a bit wild even for me," he said. Lucas nodded.

"Sounds good. Julia?" he asked, looking back at the chaser.

"Let's go."

* * *

 **I had promised that that wasn't the last we'd see of Julia. Personally, I'm a bit interested to see how things go with them. I assure you, it's not the last we'll see of Julia. ^_^**

 **And sadly, one more chapter to go...**

 **twilightlover427: Your wish is my command... Even though I kind of had this planned from towards the beginning. At first I tried to put him with someone else, but then I remembered Julia and decided to bring her back into the story.**

 **As always, thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	14. Of Seasons Ending

Lucas watched at the rookie and beater took off dancing, her dress swishing around her. Once again, she had showed up in something that looked as though it was made for her. Her face was alight with laughter as her green eyes flashed. He still felt a tinge of… something… but it had become smaller. It wasn't necessarily that he was losing his feelings for her. More so that he had made peace with the fact that it wasn't going to happen and he needed to move on.

His thoughts then drifted to Julia. He had enjoyed the time they spent together with Hugo and Elizabeth after the party. He found it easy - comfortable even - to be more like he used to around her. More easygoing, that is. They had been talking since then and the more they spoke, the more he found himself wanting to spend time with her. It wasn't the same, what he was beginning to feel towards her. But it made a lot more sense than Daisy Wood. They were in similar places in life and had a common background. And he wasn't her coach.

"They do make a striking couple," Hugo said, stepping up to Lucas' side. The tall blonde nodded and looked over at his friend.

"Seems he's been fully accepted into the Wood-Weasley-Potter clan as well," he commented.

"You seem to have been accepted as well. Get enough photos with the family?" Hugo joked. Lucas laughed and shook his head.

"I think they just appreciate the small part I played in getting Daisy Rookie of the Year," he said, looking back at the dancing couple.

"It was a bit more than that, don't you think?" Hugo said. "I mean she came to you with a ton of talent, but you provided direction."

"I gave her free rein to be more daring," Lucas responded. "Something I worried would get me killed there for a bit." He looked over at Oliver Wood, who was now gazing lovingly down at his wife as they danced.

"Ah, but Wood came around. Once he saw your brilliance at work," Hugo said. Lucas frowned slightly.

"Not sure I would call it brilliance… but whatever it is, I do owe a lot to Daisy," he said.

* * *

 _Lucas huffed slightly as he followed his old coach into the stands, pulling at the quidditch robes that he insisted they wear. He wasn't involved with the Kites in any particular fashion so he didn't understand why he had to wear the uncomfortable uniform. To be honest, he preferred the newer style that looked similar to goalie uniforms for non-magical football. And the coaching outfits that were more muggle in appearance. They certainly looked more comfortable, if not more stylish._

" _If you would stop putting on such a mood, you might find that you'll enjoy this," Coach said, looking back at him as they climbed the stairs. Lucas grimaced slightly, his injured leg starting to hurt. He had been skipping his physical therapy appointments, preferring alcohol to numb the pain rather than working through it. He only really put effort in at the beginning just so he could walk without the help of a cane. It was bad enough he still got the occasional look of pity anytime he ventured out of his apartment in the wizarding world._

" _I'm still not sure why I'm here," Lucas said, gritting his teeth slightly as pain shot up his leg. Luckily, they finally arrived at the box and were moving towards two open seats at the end of the row. "Or why you're here. Didn't you already fill all the reserve spots?"_

 _The older coach chuckled as they sat._

" _Trust me, Lucas," he said. "This just might be what you need."_

 _Lucas looked out over the field. He wasn't sure why he needed to see a school quidditch match. His chest constricted slightly as old memories played through his mind. The World Cup. Colliding with the chaser and falling. The healer telling him he wouldn't play again. Mara. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to banish the thoughts. Thankfully the coach hadn't found the small flask of whisky he had snuck into his bag. It was waiting for him at the inn in town when they finished here. He would put a replenishing charm on it before he started on it._

" _Ah, looks like it's starting," the coach said. Lucas opened his eyes and watched as a team in blue and bronze robes flew out, the crowd cheering._

" _Now there's the team I'm looking at," Coach said as the other team flew out, decked out in gold and red, the announcer introducing them. Lucas leaned forward, noticing they were in the new style of uniform. He watched as one member zipped around the field in front of the others before settling in the seeker's position. It was a tiny girl with bright red hair that he could clearly make out from where he was sitting._

" _Keep your eyes on that one, if you can," his coach said. "Never seen anyone that fast. And she's a daredevil. Only 15, too."_

" _Who is she?" Lucas asked boredly as the game started and she sped off. Whether he asked or not, he knew his old coach was going to tell him._

" _Daisy Wood. Daughter of Oliver Wood. The keeper and beaters are her older brothers - the Wood triplets. One of the chasers is their cousin - Harry Potter's eldest," he said. Lucas nodded slightly, watching the game intently. He could feel the eyes of the other players and coaches drifting towards him with the expected whispers. Of course they would stare. He had largely stayed away from quidditch since the accident. He shifted slightly and looked over at them, daring anyone who caught his eye to keep staring. He still had a particularly cold, menacing face when he needed it._

 _As the match progressed, Lucas found he couldn't stop watching the young seeker. The way she flew without abandon - weaving in and out of players, helping the chasers. She eagerly became a distraction and still managed to keep her eyes looking out for the snitch. It reminded him so much of Mara._

" _Have you given my offer any more thought?" his coach asked suddenly, not looking from the field. Lucas glanced at him and back to the match._

" _Not much more than the last time you asked. I still don't think coaching would help," he said._

" _Just because you can't play doesn't mean you can't still have a career in quidditch, Lucas. I remember how well you did with Mara and with your team at Durmstrang… you might find that you like it," the coach replied. Lucas took a deep breath, closing his eyes momentarily._

" _That was different…" he said before opening them. Once again, he managed to find the seeker. She had a wild grin on her face as she dodged a bludger from the other team that ended up hitting her opponent's chaser. He frowned slightly. There was something familiar in that grin. In those moves._

" _Just imagine what she could do with a good coach who could channel that recklessness into plays," his coach said offhandedly. Lucas tilted his head to the side. He looked at the chasers formation, noting places they were too loose. He then started imagining more plays like the one he saw earlier where the seeker had swept through and caused the other team to scatter. Except this time, more intricate. Flying through the holes in their formation. He watched the seeker again, noting how smoothly she could turn and change direction without losing much speed. She could be smoother. Lucas leaned forward, continuing to study her._

" _She has good form already, but if she tightened up a bit more, she could turn much faster and smoother," he said. "Would make it easier for her to fly in between formations rather than in front of them." He didn't notice his coach grinning next to him. "They are onto something with that play, though."_

" _I think the Kites could use plays like that," he said. "Though I'll admit I'm not very good at thinking like that…" Lucas glanced at him. So this was the ploy. Get him talking plays. Thinking about possibly taking his offer._

 _He settled in to watch the rest of the match, deciding not to say anything more._

 _But something had changed. He could feel it in his chest as the match ended and they walked down to the pitch with everyone else. The other coaches were clamouring to speak with the Wood triplets. The tiny seeker was standing away from them, talking to the Puddlemere captain and seeker. Her father stood nearby, glowering at her._

 _She appeared to be trying to talk him out of being angry with her. Lucas smiled slightly, remembering how many times Mara had managed to sweet talk herself out of trouble. In a matter of seconds, Lucas allowed himself to imagine coaching his own team. Working with the little seeker. Teaching her new moves and incredible plays. It could work…_

 _It seemed to be a lot brighter future than getting drunk in his apartment every day. It wouldn't be easy. He had some things he would have to deal with. He would have to allow himself to feel all the pain he had been trying to block out. But it might be worth it. If he could help the Wood girl reach her potential. He watched as she interacted with her family. They reminded him of his own. A warmth began to fill him as he realized he wanted to walk over there. Be a part of it. More than that, he wanted to live again._

" _I'll do it," he said finally, startling his coach. The older man looked up at him, smiling._

" _You'll take the assistant coach position?" he asked. Lucas nodded and looked down at him._

" _In two years' time, I'll have my own team," he stated. "And then I'm signing that seeker."_

 _The coach looked over at Daisy Wood, who was being spun around by one of her brothers._

" _Alright then. But I've one condition. You've got to sober up," he said, looking back at Lucas, his face unnaturally serious. Lucas nodded._

" _Deal."_

 _As soon as they arrived back at the tavern in Hogsmeade, the first thing Lucas did was empty out his flask into a sink, determined he wouldn't take another drink again if it would jeopardize his new future._

* * *

Lucas sat out in his back garden, looking up at the starry sky as he slowly drank his tea. He was still in his tux from the ball and his award sat on the table next to him. While there were a number of celebrations going on that night afterwards - the Wood triplets had tried to talk him into attending the after party at their flat - he felt he needed quiet. There was too much going on in his mind to enjoy any festivities.

"So, how does it feel to be coach of the year?" Hugo said as he stepped out through the back door. Lucas turned, noticing he had a carton of something in his hands.

"Unexpected," Lucas replied. "What's that?" Hugo walked over and placed it on the table.

"Butterbeer. Figured we could celebrate your win," he said with a smile. Lucas frowned slightly.

"Isn't there alcohol in that?" he asked.

"Small. Children drink it all the time. I think you will be okay. Plus I'm here to watch you," he said with a grin. He pulled out a bottle and opened it, handing it to Lucas, then pulled out his own and opened it as he sat in the other chair. Lucas studied the bottle cautiously, sniffing at it. It smelled of delicious butterscotch. He took a small sip, letting the liquid rest on his tongue a bit before swallowing. There was absolutely no taste of alcohol whatsoever. He took another, larger sip.

"See. Told you," Hugo said, holding his out. Lucas clinked his bottle against Hugo's. "What a season, eh?" Lucas nodded slowly and looked back at the garden.

"It was eventful, that's for sure," he said with a sigh. Hugo studied his friend.

"She would be proud," he said softly. Lucas nodded and looked at the award. A few different emotions played across his face.

"She would be… I can imagine her saying, 'Told you that you'd get it,'" Lucas said, rolling his eyes slightly. Hugo chuckled.

"That was very nice what you said about the rookie," he said.

"It's the truth. She is the heart of the team," Lucas replied.

"But I sense that she no longer holds your heart, or at least not completely," Hugo said. Lucas smiled slightly and looked over at his best friend.

"I've made my peace with that," he said. "I don't think I'll ever completely let her go, not just yet anyway. But… I've accepted that it's not meant to be."

"Lucas Nilsson, giving up on a woman… I never thought I'd see the day," Hugo quipped. "Mara would fall out of her chair to hear such a thing."

"She'd probably have been telling me it's a bad idea from the beginning. She always had more sense than me in those things," Lucas said with a sigh.

"Or egging you on," Hugo replied. Lucas chuckled.

"No, even she knew better than that," he said. The two sat in companionable silence for a few moments before Hugo spoke again.

"I am proud of the progress you've made this past year. Not just with the Arrows, but in life. Coming here, taking the coaching position - even working with Daisy Wood - it's been good for you," he said.

"I needed a new start," Lucas said. "And now with one full season down and things going well with the Arrows, I think I can spare some time working on other things."

"Would you be referring to a certain new Harpies chaser?" Hugo asked, raising an eyebrow. Lucas laughed again.

"Possibly," he said. "Wherever that goes, I'm definitely not going to rush into anything. Baby steps and all."

"Well, Elizabeth and I think it's a good direction for you," Hugo said.

"I thought you were Team Pixie?"

"Oh, I haven't completely counted her out, but even I can see that Julia is good for you - especially right now," Hugo said. "Ultimately, I thinks what is best is for you to be happy. And Julia... I think you can be happy with her."

"I hope George Weasley hasn't rubbed off on you and there's some sort of wager going on," Lucas said. Hugo shrugged.

"If there was, I certainly wouldn't say anything to you about it," he said before taking a drink. "But you have to admit, there is a certain romantic angle if it does end up being Daisy. She is the reason you came back to quidditch and, well, life in general."

Lucas thought back over the season. That first practice when Daisy nervously walked out onto the pitch for first string. The look of determination when he told her to get in the air. The joy of landing her first backflip successfully. Her laughing at an after party. Getting on to her brothers over something. Walking up to him in that green dress at the ball.

He then thought about Julia. How he had chased her all those years ago and she rebuffed him. Then after everything, she had popped up in his life again.

"The same could probably be said for Julia. She did completely write me off back in the day," Lucas said finally. "I'm not the same man I was when we first met."

"And for that I am grateful. I no longer have to worry about you abandoning me at parties to go chase women," Hugo said. "So, what's next?"

Lucas thought a moment.

"Well… we've got the workshop coming up and then I suppose getting Daisy ready for the World Cup. She'll at the very least make second string, I think. Then it's getting the team ready for the next season. We made it to the playoffs this year, but I'm hoping to at least get us to the semis next year," he said. Hugo chuckled.

"And beyond quidditch?" he asked. Lucas looked over at him.

"Just… keep living."

* * *

 **And here we come to the end... but definitely not the end of Nilsson's story. There's much more of that to come. Though time to focus on others in the Harry Potter universe. I hope you all have enjoyed the story and feel like you know Lucas a bit better.**

 **I'm thinking about starting to post Jamie's story sometime this week. Though I won't be able to post every day. At least not until I get more done. But I've managed to get a good start. The first 3 chapters are completely finished and then most or some of the following chapters. Still toying with the second half of the story - as I usually do - but we'll see... I may post a preview chapter tomorrow, kind of like I did with this one...**

 **twilightlover427: Haha, me as well. I think they are good together and good for each other. ^_^ I plan to have some nice little Nilsson/Julia moments in the next book, granted it'll mostly be on the sidelines as it's ultimately Jamie's story.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	15. Preview: Playing with Fire

Decided to post it tonight... Without further ado... a preview of the first chapter of _Playing with Fire_...

* * *

Jamie weaved in and out of the crowd as he walked through Diagon Alley, double checking the cloth bag he held in his hands. He had intended to go out and just pick up some things for himself, but had to double check he had gotten everything on the list Daisy had sent with him. She was laid up on the sofa with John tending to her latest injury - a bruised foot - and asked him to pick up some potions ingredients. Their mother had finally said that the brood would have to start taking care of their own concoctions as they were all adults now. He figured it was also partly due to the fact that with the quidditch season about to start up, she was working overtime with their uncle to expand their line of League regalia.

He was in the middle of counting the amount of strange smelling bulbs again when he ran smack dab into someone.

"Terribly sorry!" he said, looking down into the eyes of Lila Devereux. She looked just as startled to see him. He hadn't heard or seen much of her since the party after Puddlemere beat the Falcons and it still seemed a bit weird.

"It's, it's alright," she said, her hazel eyes wide as a shy smile graced her lips.

"Lila," he said. "How are you? It's been a few months," he said awkwardly. She nodded.

"Decent. Managed to get some freelance articles at Quidditch Monthly," she said. "Though… under my own name this time." He smiled.

"That's great. I didn't realize you wanted to write about quidditch," he replied. She shrugged.

"To be honest, I have always been a fan. Turns out writing about it for real is much more enjoyable than conjuring up smut," she said. The two shifted awkwardly on the sidewalk. While they had for the most part buried the hatchet after she had spent all last season trying to besmirch his sister's reputation, it was still a bit uncomfortable.

"Ehm… are you busy? Would you like to get some tea?" he asked. She lifted her eyebrows at the suggestion, amused but surprised. "I mean, only if you want to…" She laughed and shrugged.

"To be honest, I'm more of a pint girl," she said playfully. Jamie's eyebrows shot up.

"Well, then… we can hit up this little pub down the way, if you have time," he offered. Lila nodded.

"Sure," she said. The two started walking, settling into slightly uncomfortable silence. She looked up at the towering player. His hair had grown out a little since the last time she saw him, but was still short enough she could tell him from his brothers. Even if he had grown it out more, his quiet and slightly shy demeanor would have set him apart from a mile away.

"So… out doing some shopping?" she asked, glancing down at his bag. Jamie did as well, avoiding her eyes.

"Yea… I needed to replace some stuff from my broom repair kit and Daisy had a list a mile long of potions ingredients," he said.

"I didn't realize she did potions," Lila said. Jamie smiled and looked over at her.

"Yea, she's got a knack for it. Not as good as Mum, but since we've been cut off, Daisy's now become our main supplier of tonics and ointments," he said lightly. "Shop's picking up with folks wanting to get quidditch stuff before the season starts and Mum and Uncle George are working overtime." Lila laughed softly.

"I hear Weasley's Wizard Wheezes has become the popular spot for jerseys and various other things quidditch related," she said.

"He made a killing off those Pixie jerseys so started expanding. Much to Daisy's chagrin," he replied.

 _To be continued…_

* * *

 **Stay tuned for the next in the Wood family saga... _Playing with Fire_...**


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